The Shifting Sands of Work Ethic: From Dead Wood to Digital Nomads

Once upon a time, in the golden age of the 60s and 70s, large corporations carried what HR folk might politely call ‘low performers’—and what everyone else would call ‘dead wood.’ Jobs were for life, performance management was a rarity, and if you were lucky (or just well-positioned in the tea-making hierarchy), you could coast along with minimal effort. Fast forward to today, and the pendulum has swung to an entirely different extreme—where some employees believe they hold all the cards, demanding remote work, four-day weeks, and personal fulfilment as standard.

Then, of course, there’s Elon Musk—who recently sent an email to thousands of government employees demanding they justify what they actually did last week. The message was clear: you’re either adding value, or you’re out. And while some HR professionals might shudder at his rather direct approach, many others are nodding along, wishing they could do the same in their own organisations.

The contrast is stark. In some parts of the world, people would give anything for a stable job, while elsewhere, there are employees rolling their eyes at the very idea of five days in an office. HR teams are stuck in the middle, trying to balance productivity, engagement, and an increasingly entitled workforce who sometimes forget that ‘work’ is not meant to be a lifestyle accessory—it’s a necessity.

So where does this leave HR? Torn between managing the needs of a workforce that craves autonomy and an executive team that just wants people to turn up and do their jobs. One thing’s for sure: attitudes towards work will keep evolving. Whether that leads to greater flexibility or a Musk-style crackdown, HR will be on the frontlines, trying to keep the peace.