Muffin and Coffee

I decided to spend my morning working from a café close to home. I chose not to calorie count and ordered a coffee and muffin 🤭

My mind suddenly flashed back to a couple of years ago when I was handling some senior-level recruiting for one of my clients. One of the candidates looked good on paper, she had the right skills and was currently working for an organisation which I felt was recognised in its industry.

I asked her why she wanted to leave the company and all she kept emphasising on was the fact that it was a toxic environment, and that she was not allowed to step out to grab a coffee and muffin. Interestingly, the coffee and muffin complaint came up about three times during the interview. She simply wanted a company that would accommodate her desire which really isn’t too much of an ask.

A part of me was intrigued at the fact that this company was about to lose an excellent senior colleague simply because of a culture that didn’t allow for something as simple as a quick 10 minutes away from her desk. This could be perceived as toxicity because of the excessive clock watching and control, as opposed to an Employee-centric delivery-focused organisation that encouraged and thrived on individual autonomy, motivation, and actual work delivery.

Hopefully more of these examples will come to light and make us understand the impact a positive Employee Experience can have on improving attrition and retention indices, among many other advantages.

Have an awesome week!!!