Webinar MCS HR Talks: Presentation of the book "Smetto Quando Voglio" by Paolo Iacci. Work in the new millennium between quiet quitting and organizational silence
The aim was to discuss the evolving dynamics of the labor market, exploring current phenomena and trends, and proposing strategies that institutions and businesses should adopt to face these new challenges.
Paolo Iacci's new book offers a broad and detailed view of the complex dynamics influencing the contemporary labor market, providing a solid foundation for understanding the challenges and opportunities that characterize this evolving context.
The first question posed to the author was to explain the choice of the provocative and misleading title. The author stated:
"In the words 'Smetto Quando Voglio' (I’ll Quit When I Want), lies my initial thesis: in today's post-pandemic, globalized, and digitized labor market, the relationship between individuals and companies has radically changed. It has shifted from mutual reliance to mutual utility. If an individual does not share values with the company, does not feel valued, does not see the possibility of finding a balance between private life and work, and lacks opportunities for personal and professional growth, they quit at the first chance and leave the job in search of new opportunities. But if the opportunity does not arise, the globally recognized phenomenon of quiet quitting occurs, driven by a lack of job meaning."
Phenomena such as Quiet Quitting, the Great Resignation, and the Great Reshuffle are therefore responses to Job Burnout, a consequence of the post-pandemic Global Social Burnout. According to Paolo Iacci:
"Today we find ourselves in a situation where people no longer have hope for the future: they live in a context of uncertainty, loneliness, and distrust towards everything and everyone, in an extremely pervasive and extended present."
It is no coincidence that the term of the year 2022, coined by the Collins Dictionary, is Permacrisis, "a long period of instability and insecurity resulting from a series of catastrophic events."
During the discussion, besides observing the phenomena related to the changing psychological contract between individuals and organizations, we also analyzed other global trends:
- Internationalization of work: expats and the spread of international remote working.
Currently, there are specialized consulting structures, like Talentor International, that manage these trends, such as contractual implications related to applicable legislation and ensuring social security compliance. Iacci adds:
"The phenomenon is increasing, and global attention is needed to study the best organizational, fiscal, legal, and social security structures to apply, perhaps with a WTO on the labor front, while waiting for political action, possibly at a global level." - NEET: (Not engaged in Education, Employment, or Training).
"These are young people who see no future nor find tools to react, risking a transition from economic and occupational deprivation to emotional or existential deprivation."
In Italy, the employment situation is becoming paradoxical: The highest percentage of NEETs in Europe contrasts with the exodus of young people abroad (increasing digital natives fleeing often before finishing their university studies). - Unemployment and mismatch:
In Europe, the unemployment rate is around 6%. But the author adds:
"Every year, hundreds of job requests go unmet due to the difficulty of finding prepared workers, matching, and eager to learn a trade."
So, what are the solutions? Paolo Iacci has no doubts: Lifelong Learning and Sustainability.
"At the center of managerial action is no longer the worker or a role, but the identity of the person in their entirety. The focus is not only on skills but also on areas of improvement, including weaknesses. A mature, current, and aware management must be able to combine the logic of profit with the need to satisfy people's needs and legitimate aspirations. Companies must not be caught unprepared, especially given the current difficulty in attracting and retaining talent."
The author continues:
"Sustainable companies (not just environmentally) spend less to attract and retain talent."
Thanks to the contribution and interest shown by all participants in the HR Talks event, the dialogue continued for about 90 minutes, highlighting winning HR policies to address new phenomena in the contemporary labor market. Engagement, value sharing, corporate communication policies aimed at feedback or surveys, improving the company and team work environment, and the possibility of professional development for collaborators must be priorities for organizations.
"The competitive advantage of an organization is often the ability to learn faster. This also applies to individuals."
And to prove this, when asked by AI, Iacci candidly stated:
"Despite having written my thesis with an old typewriter, I am currently taking an interest in a training course on the use of AI."
For more information and to contact MCS (Talentor Italy), click here.
Original publication by Elena Di Maio/ MCS: https://www.mcs-selection.it/e...
