Whatever happened to the ‘nice boss’?

With some exceptions, we appear to be out of the pandemic and things are feeling very differently in the workplace these days.

For better and worse.

Going back in time, we had the pre-pandemic workplace when things were relatively calm and normal. There was an entrepreneurial spirit at startups and multibillion-dollar companies alike.

Most companies were growing like crazy and offering what at the time seemed exorbitant comp packages for new talent.  

The Apples and Googles of the world gladly provided free dry-cleaning, luxury buses to and from work, free lunches, gym memberships, massages, even lounges for pets of all kinds.  

Talent was defined as those who brought out-of-the-box thinking, taking risks, and understanding how technology was changing. The challenge was how to meet the ever-demanding public’s need to create new and better ways to get things done.  

It was the precursor to AI: How can we get more information faster?  

Then COVID-19 hit and brought layoffs like crazy. Whole cities of buildings closed while everyone waited it out.  

The waiting period ended up being about two to three years, while many of us learned to work independently from home, either full-time or hybrid.  

New habits were formed, and we didn’t miss having our coworkers around. No one missed fighting commuter traffic back and forth. 

Executives seemed to care how everyone else was adjusting to this new culture. 

Are you getting depressed? Are you withdrawing from friendly interactions with coworkers? How are your children coping? 

In general, company leaders seemed more concerned than usual about the well-being of their employees.

A new era of compassionate leadership

As Caroline Castillon wrote in a recent Forbes article, the pandemic sparked a new era of more compassionate leadership.  

As employees struggled with challenges from health concerns to remote work adjustments, leaders responded with increased empathy, flexibility, and understanding. 

The “nice boss” emerged as the gold standard of leadership. Or so it seemed.

Then, as we emerged from the fog of the pandemic, employees began to spread their wings and see the sunlight.

They also became very restless, and companies began hiring like crazy again. Standards were lowered so that if you had a pulse, you were hired. Work from home? No problem.

It was a burst of panic hiring, an employee’s market, especially for those who were offered 25% more money to jump elsewhere. But that didn’t last long as turnover rates hit all-time highs.  

Eventually, every remote job had to have results-based, measurable criteria. Exceed the minimal results or we’ll get someone who can. Or, maybe worse, we’ll make you come back into the office full-time.

Lately, the tide has shifted yet again. 

Hyper volatility of tariffs became daily news

By many measures, the American economy was humming along just fine until the hyper volatility of tariffs became daily news earlier this year.  

Since then, across nearly all industries, many managers have abandoned their “we care” attitude in favor of a more direct, results-oriented leadership style.  

Out of caution for the unknown, companies have hunkered down and focused on getting or staying profitable. There’s very little hiring going on, and about as much firing. 

Meanwhile, turnover is virtually unmeasurable because there aren’t many jobs to jump to.  

Cost-cutting measures have been introduced to control healthcare costs, benefits and compensation.  Outlandish perks and incentives have been withdrawn, and performance mandates have tightened.

If we never hear the word metrics again, we’ll all be happier, I’m sure.

On the brighter side, Americans are great at adjusting, as we have over the past many years.  

What should employees do to weather this latest storm?

Simply put your head down and work hard, exceed expectations, be visible to the boss, and always think about how the company can make more money or save money.  

After all, those are the only two reasons we all have jobs.

I have lots of suggestions about how to make yourself irreplaceable at your company. Contact me below and I’ll forward them to you.

Change has always been inevitable. 

It’s how we react to it that matters most.

Blair is co-founder of Manpower Staffing and can be reached at pblair@manpowersd.com.