I especially liked this section of Florida's book because it talked about how work environment has so drastically changed over the past thirty years. The way in which we conduct commerce, communicate with one another, and understand and value creative business has led to a slew of environmental factors that contribute an employees work experience. Employees are demanding and expecting employers to provide them with perks and benefits that are not the norm in the prior corporate America. Benefits like flexible work time, fun office campuses, and paid maternity leave are all examples as to how corporations are trying to entice employees to come work for them. Employees are also looking for more responsibility and autonomy in the workplace where they can take ownership and be trusted with their own projects. They look for companies who encourage and foster workers extracurricular activities, because the idea is that that creativity will actually channel into the workplace and will in essence further push innovation for the company. People want to be intellectually stimulated, appreciated by their peers and bosses, and want to have the opportunity to have a work-life balance. And when it comes down to it - they want to like what they do and have a passion to succeed, instead of the mundane world of the 9 to 5 job that we have so been accustomed to in the past.
I think Florida's view and observation of the new workplace is something that I need to think about as I enter into the workforce. The following questions were really brought to my attention as I continued to read Part Two:
- Will my employer challenge me and not expect only me, the new hire, to do mundane tasks?
- Can I grow here?
- What benefits will I have that will make me want to spend more time in the workplace? What will make me appreciate the company that I work for?
- What will the environment be like? Will it be visually stimulated?
- Will my health be taken into consideration? Will my employer insist that I eat healthier and exercise?
- When I want to have a family, will they let me spend those critical first couple of months with my children?
- Will I have a work/life balance?
- Will I feel like I am providing a benefit to the greater company and to our customers? Is my job value add?
All of these questions really, I think, stem from me being a member of that creative class. I want my job to have an entrepreneurial feeling to it. I want the opportunity to really take control of a project, see it come to fruition, and reap the benefits of a job well done. Compensation isn't the number one motivating factor anymore as our society is realizing more and more that money can't buy happiness. What we value is more time with our families, having fun, and enjoying the people we work with. Gone are the days when the employers can just abuse their employees with insane hours with little compensation - the employees demand more. And rightfully so. If done in the right way, a company who adopts a creative mentality in regards to their human resources really has the capability to speed ahead of their competition. Take Google and Apple for instance. They have really perfected their products and are constantly one step ahead in terms of innovation. Who do they have to thank for that? Their employees who enjoy what they do and enjoy where they work, who they work with, and what projects they work on. In both organizations an entrepreneurial mindset is essential and truly helps catapult these companies to the forefront.
Overall, I really enjoyed this second part of the book more than the first. It was more applicable to my life and saw a lot of these new age employment ideas as necessary for advancement in capitalistic America.
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