At first, it seems as though the CEO is not very employee-friendly but his explanation will surely change people's hearts.
It is a dream for employees nowadays to land a workplace that is not toxic. Many members of the workforce bare their souls on the internet about how their managers are inconsiderate or unreasonable in their demands. So when Rob Dance–who goes by @RobDance_ on X–a tech entrepreneur who founded Rock IT Consultancy in the UK, listed the things he was "sick of hearing" from his employees, it may look a bit insensitive to many at first glance. But if we look further in his X post's thread, Dance explaining his perspective would make one yearn to work under this kind of management.
"Things I'm sick of hearing from my employees," Dance begins his post. Then comes a myriad of commonly used "excuses" that employees put forward to their bosses. "Can I leave early today?" "I'll be late in the morning." "My child is sick. Can I rush off?" "I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow. Is that okay?" "I'm going to be late back from lunch, I've got some things to sort," are a few listed by the CEO. Dance simply said, "I don't care." While one may think he doesn't care enough about his employees' well-being, he further explains why he doesn't want to hear these excuses.
Things I'm sick of hearing from my employees:
— Rob Dance (@RobDance_) July 1, 2024
- Can I leave early today
- I'll be late in the morning
- My child is sick, can I rush off
- I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow, is that okay
- I'm going to be late back from lunch, I've got some things to sort
I don't care. pic.twitter.com/JfkivEli07
"I hired you for a job and I fully trust you to get it done. I don't need you to account for every single hour. Times have changed, and the workplace is different these days. People are sick of being treated like children," Dance explained in the thread. "All that should matter is that everyone is happy and that the work gets done. My advice to companies: Treat your staff like adults. That's it, that's the big secret," the CEO added. He was "sick" of hearing those things because he didn't want his employees to feel they have to ask for his permission for the smallest things, like kids. They have the liberty to arrive late or leave early as long as they're being productive at work.
All that should matter is that everyone is happy, and that the work gets done.
— Rob Dance (@RobDance_) July 1, 2024
→ My advice to companies:
Treat your staff like adults.
That’s it, that’s the big secret.
"Give them autonomy, respect that they have lives outside of work and don't gaslight them into being grateful for not being fired every day. Output should always trump hours," Dance pointed out. The CEO endorses the idea that employees should be awarded "flexibility" at work. He repeatedly emphasized that it's the "trust" that he has in his employees that made him adapt to this flexible approach. The post gained over 14 million views and many social media users were at first deceived by Dance's outright opinion about employees' excuses. Once people understood the CEO's actual intention, they couldn't agree more with him.
Fully agree, no need to ask, just get the job done and do your thing.
— Adam Dios (@AdamDios) July 2, 2024
I love this Rob!
— TheBetterThanAverageGuy (@BetterThnAvgGuy) July 2, 2024
Business, work, everything is about people.
Treat people right and like adults, people will give back.
"I was starting to write a response saying you were wrong and then I read the explanation. Thank you, sir. You are definitely right. I'm tired of people being at the office just to be at the office," said @lev_pozniakoff. "You successfully triggered me. We need more employers to develop your mindset. Unfortunately, a lot of employers hire people without doing the hard work of defining expectations. Poor leadership creates poor employee performance," remarked @chrisgetscr8tv. "Love your take on how employees should be treated. Imagine if all employers put their employees' happiness at the top of the list of priorities," added @nikkiharveyruns.