What becoming an ‘undercover employee’ taught one leader about consistent comms

Nora Burns, founder and chief curiosity officer at The Leadership Experts, knows the life of the worker.  She compiled hundreds of interviews, amassing a large body of research to articulate what it’s like being  “just an” employee working on the front line — that person who thinks of themselves as a marginal part of the workplace.

Burns became an undercover employee, interviewing and joining the workforce of three large companies. While on the job, she experienced the communications and treatment that customer-facing employees receive daily.

She explains that the frontline often has the most vital information and is generally ignored. “I think all too often we ignore incredible brilliance that exists throughout our organization because somebody doesn’t have a title or a fancy suit,” Burns says.

People want to work on their own time and their own terms as more workers are driving for Uber, walking dogs, and delivering groceries.

Burns says that this trend is akin to people saying, “I’m refusing to work for your corporate entity because you’re not recognizing me for my humanness.” She adds that people who say ‘kids today don’t want to work’ are misunderstanding the root cause of the disconnect.