Change of Work - Visionairies arise from Crisis

From Ralfs Junge's blog entry: "Der Wandel der Arbeit – Visionäre in der Krise"

It was easy to recruit, back in the days. Well, everything was better back in the days. Employers offered incentives like a company car, cell phones (both, for private use also), and company pension plans. In some branches this workes today, still. The larger part of young professionals however, is rather imaterial expectations. It is about self-realization and finding the purpose in one's own work.  

While taking a time out from the job I travelled to Lisboa. I wanted to know what expectations young people have regarding their job. Especially in context to the current financial crisis. So I met with some of the youths, quite a lot of them were entrepreneurs. 

I met Lina and João from Daring Project, an associatation of young entrepreneurs, who are eager to create a new and sustaining concept of and for work. Important to them is the high degree of liberty as well as job-security. Just like in Germany the goal is to fulfill a purpose and have fun. You see, the Portuguese generation of young professionals is not too different from the German one. 

However, with their visions and project the young Portugueses want to cause a general change. The individuum is supposed to be at first place. It is about the question: How do I want to work and by that what can I/we do for our country? Every employee, no matter if self-employed or hired, should be conscious about doing his/her own part for the country. And do so, too.

Both see a great chance within the crisis. A chance to create (the) change. Of course, both know, there is a risk attached. However, this is much better than doing nothing. "We got to wake up and help rebuilding. We have the opportunity to create our own future. We should use that opportunity", Lina and João both agree.

I miss the visionary attitude here. We are driven by numbers by now - KPI's and revenue got to be right. But for creativity abnd visions the time is missing. Don't get me wrong, without profitable revenue a company cannot exist. We cannot lose ourselves in dreams, I am aware of that. Yet, we should find a proper and healthy balance, and manage a new and better work quality. This, too, is an incentive. Even a very important incentive for gaining new employees.

Ralf Junge