On this Labor Day holiday, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on the changes to work and the workforce in my two decades in the industry. Specifically, how the meaning of “face time” has changed, and what it means for leaders of today and tomorrow.

Paying tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers, Labor Day has been a federal holiday since 1894, originating during one of America’s most dismal periods related to labor issues.

If we look back to the late 1800s, the United States was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. The average American worked 12 hours, seven days a week in extremely unsafe working conditions just to make ends meet. Congress acted in the face of significant unrest across the country and, with Grover Cleveland’s signature on June 28, 1894, Labor Day was born.

Much has changed in the last 127 years. And yet, one could argue that the evolution of the workforce and changes in worker expectations, which were significantly accelerated due to COVID, have created yet another dismal period in the U.S. when it comes to labor. In fact, according to Forbes, “American workers are quitting their jobs more than at any other time in the past two decades.”

When I started my first job in this industry, it was in the law department at the corporate headquarters of one of the largest meatpackers in the U.S. I learned about “face time” the hard way. It seemed my “lawyer’s hours” of 8:30 to 5:30 or even 8 to 5 were completely unacceptable. “Our plants start running at the crack of dawn and we need to be available,” I was told. Similarly, I heard, “The folks working at our farms have to be there every day, why shouldn’t we be in the office every day?” Working remotely didn’t exist unless you were in a sales role and expected to be traveling a majority of the time.

Never mind I ended up doing much of my work during “lawyer’s hours” or even after hours when I didn’t have as many distractions. I earned credibility with my business partners because I got in early and left late. I was there and they could see me. And it felt like I got “bonus points” when I was there before them and left after them. (It goes without saying that this was not a particularly positive thing for my life outside of work. But I did get used to it. After all, it was just part of the culture and the industry that I grew to love despite the requirement of long hours in the office.)

I always wondered why we didn’t have more focus on productivity. But who was I to challenge?

Now, here I am, 20 years later and on the backside (hopefully) of a global pandemic. “Face time” has turned into FaceTime (or Zoom, or Teams, or whatever video platform your team is using to connect remotely) and any culture of being in the office early and often has been turned on its head. The same Forbes article cites a study by insurance and financial services giant Prudential that found “one in three American workers would not want to work for an employer that required them to be onsite full time.”

We are at a pivotal point as an industry where we need to ask ourselves, “How important is Face Time? Is it important enough to forego the opportunity to recruit and retain high quality talent?” (Note: I wrote this blog with full recognition that there are many jobs in our industry that simply cannot be remote. My goal is to challenge your thinking about those jobs that could be done very effectively without the requirement of 40-50 hours a week in a central office.)

In my October blog, I will share some key reasons supporting the business case for remote work for those employees whose jobs make it possible. In the meantime, post your questions and comments. I am sure there are a myriad of views on this topic!

Happy Labor Day to you all.

Labor Day 2021: Is it time to eliminate the culture of “face time”?

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