The Role Of Employers In Perpetuating Perfect
We always think of breaking down the doors to perfectionism as a solely person task. But perfectionism is a learned behaviour that continues down the generational lines. It comes from somewhere...
Your parents probably learned it from their parents and from their work.
High demands. Low praise. This is the "normal" way companies seem to run.
And why wouldn't they demand perfection? There are so many people with all of the same credentials with resumes that look just as good. They have the pick of the crop. So, of course, they're going to want the absolute best.
But because of this often perfection is demanded.
It's all about no mistakes, quick and efficient work, and no time for learning (you should already know this).
They want someone who already has experience... But how on earth do you get experience?
Job postings sound a little something like:
Someone who’s always alert
A quick thinker to give ideas
Extremely detail-oriented (despite not being it themself)
Knows how to do everything but expects you to be the best at all of them
Able to sit and focus all-day
Gets things done quickly and without mistakes, of course... Good on the first submission
Someone who doesn't call in sick
The list goes on and on...
Even in entry-level or low-paying jobs, the expectation is there. There is no wiggle room it feels like.
Now, this might not be the case everywhere and that's great. Companies that foster learning environments and encourage their employees to take risks and try new things, and know the value of having a specific expertise are amazing. I hope we are headed in that direction.
But when there is so much pressure to perform, to excel, to not make mistakes and to exceed expectations, when they slip up one time, and the hammer comes down, it starts to increase employees' stress levels and anxiety.
So the next time, they put even more time and energy into something and spend hours slaving over it, making sure there are no mistakes, and they outperform themselves. They receive praise, and then the expectation increases for performing at that new level.
So employees have to work harder to keep performing at that level, and it never ends.
The build-up of anxiety and feeling the pressure to perform eventually leads to stress over something never being right or being good enough, and thus, perfectionism is born.
Sound familiar?
This might have been school as well, but the concept and development are often the same.
Mistakes happen, and while the same ones shouldn't be constantly made, employees have a much better time, feel less stress and feel more valued (leading to better quality and easier work) when an employer or boss is accepting, patient and values learning above all else.
When employees feel like they are allowed to learn and grow they take more risks, try new things, speak up with new ideas more and produce better quality work. They're also able to get more done because they aren't stressing about one project having to be perfect.
Employers have a lot more power over their employees' development and mental health than they even know. They can help foster a positive self-image, confidence, pride in their work, a desire to speak up and contribute ideas, and so much more.
But they also can impact them for the worse. They can stifle creativity instead of fostering it, they can increase anxiety around working and performance, they can decrease a person's self-confidence and self-image, they can keep them from feeling like they can speak up, stop effective learning and create distrust with their superiors so they won't feel like they can reach out with their questions.
Employees are much more effective when the first scenario occurs.
Creating a supportive, inclusive, positive and learning-focused environment produces the best results for employee success.
If you're an employer or work above others, try this approach. Let's change the common narrative and help decrease the number of perfectionists in the world!
