I had AI read a synopsis of my book I QUIT! Winning the War for Top Talent and create a realistic fictional character who would represent the theme of the book, and embody the modern workforce.
Allow me to introduce, Maya Johnson.
Name: Maya Johnson
Age: 28
Occupation: Software engineer
Background: Maya graduated from a prestigious university with a degree in computer science. She has worked for three different companies in the past five years, each time quitting after feeling dissatisfied with the work environment, the compensation, or the career growth opportunities. She is currently looking for a new job that will challenge her skills, offer her flexibility, and reward her performance. She is also interested in finding a mentor who can guide her and help her achieve her professional goals.
Personality: Maya is a smart, ambitious, and creative person who loves to learn new things and solve problems. She is also independent, adaptable, and adventurous, always seeking new experiences and opportunities. She values autonomy, feedback, and recognition in her work. She is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. She is also loyal, friendly, and supportive to her colleagues and friends.
I then asked AI, to research the modern employee, like Maya, and asked:
Is Maya happy at work?
Response: Maya is dissatisfied with the work environment, compensation, and career growth opportunities in her previous jobs. These factors significantly impacted her job satisfaction and overall happiness at work. She feels undervalued, unsupported, and unfulfilled in her roles, which led to unhappiness and a desire to seek new opportunities.
Additionally, Maya's past roles did not challenge her skills, offer flexibility, nor did they reward her performance. Her desire for growth, autonomy, and recognition aligns with factors that contribute to employee happiness and engagement.
Sadly, if Maya is the embodiment of the modern employee, if confirms data from my previous blog Another Epidemic is Emerging: Unhappiness which discussed the latest research on the declining happiness of employees, which has surpassed levels seen during the pandemic. According to the Great Gloom report by BambooHR2, employee happiness has steadily declined at a rate of 6% from the start of 2020 through the present, and 2023 has seen a steep and steady drop, with a decrease of 9% since January. The report also found that volatility, or how happiness varies from month to month, is steadily decreasing as well, indicating that employees experience less extreme highs and lows than ever before, and most simply accept that morale is getting worse.
One of the central themes of my book is that a paradigm shift occurred in the modern workforce post pandemic, and employers must re-evaluate their relationships with their employees, to truly understand what they want, need, and how that is differing from years past. For Maya's sake, and all that she represents, I hope employers don't ignore the recent data and frightening trends and take proactive steps to get to know their employees, what they need, so they feel supported, valued, and their needs are met. If not, employers who continue operating they way they have for the past two decades will find themselves on the losing side in the War for Top Talent.
