#RIP the Shareholders

Part of what has led to today's work environment is the disconnect between the culture of the older and younger generation (among other things). Even as recently as 50 years ago, work environments were significantly different because work culture was different. People took pride in their work and cared about the impact their job and company had on others, both at the consumer and investor level. As times changed, the relationships between the worker, upper management, and investors also changed and in turn changed the workers' view of their job, their management, and their company.

Panera founder claims that "high up in the business world" it is easy to forget that while decisions for the company are shaped and molded by the demands of the investors and shareholders, that average people do not care about that. Specifically, the Panera founder seems to be surprised by the average worker's nonchalance about what the shareholders and investors want. The disconnect from the top to the bottom of companies is so bad that some companies openly attempt to use the happiness of the shareholders to try to motivate their workers. The idea is so absurd to "regular people" that it has resulted in a string of videos and TikToks making fun of the idea that upper management would think that regular employees care about what is going on in the C-suite. In fact, that is part of the reason for the "worker's shortage." It is not so much a shortage of qualified people, but a shortage of qualified people willing to do the work for the lack of pay and work-life balance. What would be a better way to get employees excited about work? Better pay, better working conditions, and management empathizing and sympathizing with what the day to day looks like for the workers.