A Love Letter to the Working Human
I started writing this letter on Sunday. Over the past three days, I've written more than 2,000 words on the thoughts sparked by the job negotiation process I've been involved in this past month. The experience brought up a lot: instincts, excitement, hesitations, insecurities, discomfort, curiosity, humor, potential, gratitude, confidence...a whole realm of emotions. Inspired and at the same time overwhelmed by the process, I figured today would be a good day to write a love letter to all who work.
When I saw work, I'm talking about the employed, unemployed, sometimes employed, looking to be employed, self-employed, retired, home-employed. I'm talking to all you humans. Each one of us has put time and energy into achieving results: we've raised children (this auto-corrected to chickens at first, which may be true), swept floors, led companies, volunteered, clocked in the 9 to 5, grew a kitchen garden, gave a ride to a friend, offered a sympathetic ear, or shared a hug. We all work. We all put in the effort for outcome whether it's for ourselves or others, whether it's compensated or not.
I'm putting this out there because I lost an hour or two of a perfectly good beach day looking up the origin and uses of the term “human capital.” I wasn’t surprised to find that in the mid to late 1800s it was used in a very crude way to refer to the labor force and actual monetary cost of life for a company or country. It’s since traveled up the ranks into the corporate world and along to the World Bank where human capital (defined as "the knowledge, skills, and health that people invest in and accumulate throughout their lives, enabling them to realize their potential as productive members of society") is analyzed and indexed on a country by country basis in order to then be developed.
To be fair, I’m all for individuals developing knowledge and health to be fully productive, yet at the same time, I have a visceral reaction to the idea of humans referred to as capital. Especially after sitting in the hot seat, being reviewed, interviewed, reference checked, and evaluated. The phrase came up when I asked what were some of the biggest organizational challenges the company faced. The response: Finding the right people to hire. Human capital.
I believe words matter. I applaud shifts from terms like HR to People and Culture Development, and from management to leadership, and recruitment to talent acquisition. I think it's important to put some humanity back into the workplace, especially now as AI plays a larger role in hiring and more and more work is digital and remote. I'm happy to see that mental health in the workplace is being taken more seriously and that the role of Chief Happiness Officer exists. But I also believe that the actions behind words are even more important. We can't just stick labels on things and then walk away thinking that is enough. That being said, when I felt labeled as human capital from a potential employer, it didn't feel great.
I have another 2,000 plus words to share on what it's like to be a worker, on how lonely the job hunt can be, on what cultivating optimism looks like in the job search, on asking crucial questions, on the parallels of being picked for sports in elementary school and the job selection process, on trusting your gut, on defining boundaries in the work world, on the difference between praise and acknowledgment, on trust vs. tasks, and getting what you want, but I guess I will save those for when we chat one on one!
Instead, here is my love letter to you, fellow worker:
You are not just a resume. You are not just a number. You are not meant to fit on a piece of paper or into a job description.
Before you are a job title, a salary, an employee, a CEO, an entrepreneur, a go-getter, a mentor, an advisor, a recruiter, or an employer, you are a human.
You are a human with needs, wants, dreams, desires, imagination, and everything you need to define your own terms of success.
You are valuable before someone puts a price tag on your skills and experiences and decides whether or not you're a worthy investment.
Your work does not have to be visible to be valuable.
You are valuable because you are, not because you work.
I hope some of these reminders are helpful and relevant to where you are in the world, any stage and age. Many people who reach out to me are changing career paths, are struggling in their jobs, are searching for fulfillment and purpose. It's always an honor to share the journey with you as a coach and perhaps it's helpful to see that navigating these decisions can still be tough, but it doesn't have to be impossible. As always I'm beside you, in stride, not leading the way. I'm here to help clear the brambles from your path, to see further towards the horizon, to discover possibilities with you.
Finally, can we all just agree that if we get to the point in a conversation where we are "circling back" and assessing "human capital," we momentarily check ourselves and agree that all this jargon is completely uncalled for, kind of like the $3 price tag for extra guac on a burrito? I mean, we all know it's ridiculous, no need to pretend. The person dishing it and the person buying it, it’s time for a laugh!
Until next week, sending sunshine,
Henna
PS: Did I take the job, you ask? Nope. I wanted more time to spend with all of you :)