Joe Mull is a multi-published author, host of the Boss Better Now podcast, and an authority on what it takes to attract and keep the best talent in the era of post-COVID job mobility. In his newest keynote address, based on his recently released book, Employalty, Mull employs his characteristic good humor to guide the weary team leader with a researched-backed, comprehensive 2024 game plan. He showcases not only how to be a better boss, but to also recognize the intangibles that employees value, generate authentic team commitment, and lead with humanity.

Q: Joe, thanks for talking! Let’s dive right in, what is Employalty all about?

A: First and foremost I want to tackle one of the biggest misconceptions, which is that Employalty means employee loyalty. It doesn’t. It’s actually a mashup of the concepts of “Employer loyalty” and “Humanity.” It’s about the commitment that employers make to a more humane employee experience because that’s what truly activates commitment at work.

We can get into what exactly that looks like, but my point is that the old-school management style of trying to paper over everything with, “Well, we pay you,” just isn’t good enough anymore. There's too much free agency now.

I also want to combat the idea that being a leader forces us to stop treating people like humans. When we do that again and again, we can become desensitized to the suffering that bad work can impose on people. Employalty is meant to serve as a guide for how to bring genuine human kindness and decency into the workplace in a way that also leads to a more successful working environment.

Q: What’s the origin story? What sparked this idea in your mind?

A: This book was born out of two things happening at the same time. The first was my growing frustration with the national conversation around what is commonly called the “Great Resignation” and all of the so-called staffing shortages. The other impetus was a conversation on a podcast where the host asked me to explain in one sentence where commitment comes from.

Coming up with a one-sentence definition was really challenging and when I eventually landed on one, I felt that the entire exercise was too good to pass up. That challenge, and the thought process in turn, led to the book which operates as a framework or blueprint for organizations who want to understand what it takes to find and keep devoted employees in a post-COVID world.

Q: Before we move on, what exactly was frustrating you with the conversations going on around the “Great Resignation.”

A: We hear a lot about the great resignation and “quiet quitting” and get the sense that there is great cause for alarm, with people too lazy to work, but it’s just not true. When you look at the data over the past couple of years here in the US you see there has consistently been 50% more hiring than there has been quitting. People aren't quitting. They’re upgrading.

A big focus of Employalty is coming to terms with the fact that if you want to attract and keep the best talent, you're going to have to find a way to be the upgrade for them. With this idea that no one wants to work, it’s often just that no one wants to work for you. No one wants to work for your company.

Q: So what’s the secret to attracting and keeping the best talent? What did you find from your research?

A: We started by analyzing over 200 research studies and articles on why people quit a job, take a new job, or decide to stay long-term with an organization. Based on that research I can tell you that finding and keeping great people comes down to making sure your organization is winning in three areas — which is also the one-sentence answer I mentioned earlier.

Here it is: Commitment and retention appear when employees are in their ideal job doing meaningful work for a great boss. These are the three key aspects of becoming what we call a destination workplace. Every story you have ever heard about why someone quits a job or takes a new job calls back to one of these factors.

Q: The “ideal job,” seems like a difficult goal for an employer to meet?

A: The ideal job doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of challenges or spending all day on the beach. It really is about how the job fits into my life. It's what I get in exchange for what I do and ultimately comes down to compensation, workload, and flexibility. If my money's right, if my workload is right, and I have some flexibility around when, where, and how I work, that's my ideal job.

Q: How can the ideal job and challenging work mesh with meaningful work?

A: What makes work meaningful for people comes down to purpose, strength, and belonging.

Purpose: Do I believe my work matters?
Strengths: Am I getting to use my talents and gifts in this job?
Belonging: Am I accepted and celebrated as part of the team?

You have all those ingredients in the pie, work becomes meaningful and people's “Give a Damn” factor goes up, fast.

Q: Last but not least, what’s this “Great Boss Factor?”

A: A person's direct supervisor is the single most influential factor in the employee experience. We have all the data in the world that tells us that, by and large, people don't quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. There are several things that leaders have to get right for someone to point to them and say, “I've got a great boss,” the three most important being trust, coaching, and advocacy.

A lot of these factors are actually more controllable than they might appear at first glance. True, you might not be able to dictate company policy around vacation days, but you can absolutely control whether or not your team feels valued, and make sure they can use their gifts and talents in a meaningful way. A lot of my message is centered on the idea that leaders at any level need to think about their spheres of influence and where they can make meaningful changes across the employee experience in a way that aligns with the needs, wants, and values of a changed workforce.

Q: So putting it all together, what do you hope readers take away from this framework?

A: All of these factors come together to create what I call “The internal psychological scorecard.” Like it or not, every employee in every job at every company on planet earth is bringing one of these to their work and if you as a leader can check most or all of these boxes, you will become their destination workplace.

In the world after COVID, finding and keeping dedicated workers can feel next to impossible. For those of us looking to beat “quiet quitting” and build a dedicated team around a shared vision, Joe Mull serves as a welcome guide, combining researched-backed insights with an unforgettable stage presence. If you or your team are interested in Employalty, contact Executive Speakers Bureau to book Joe Mull today.