Everyone’s needs and priorities tend to be slightly different. However, generally speaking, employees tend to want fair pay, to be treated with respect, a good work-life balance, and not have to burn out just to put food on the table.

Throw in some career growth, replace micromanagement with more autonomy, and you’ve got a solid foundation for a healthy culture at work.

However, good pay and decent career prospects alone might not be enough to motivate your staff. As we’ve covered on Bored Panda very recently, recognition can have a lot of positive influence in the workplace. Being understood and appreciated by your coworkers and superiors can do wonders. (But all the other things like compensation have to be there as well.)

Something else that workers value very much is clear and transparent communication. To put it simply, people want to know what’s going on. They want feedback on their work. They want to feel seen, as though someone’s taking an active interest in supporting them and helping them grow. 

Flexibility is also becoming an increasingly important issue. Many companies are trying to get their workers to reduce the time spent working remotely and return to the office, whether full or part-time. Hybrid workplace arrangements are a pretty good compromise for both parties.

However, some employees won’t want to give up cheaper rent outside of town and the extra time they spend with their loved ones just to commute to the office.

Good managers will try to look at everyone’s unique situation and results and see what does(n’t) work, instead of applying a one-size-fits-all solution. Some folks work great remotely and want more peace.

Others thrive surrounded by the constant hustle and bustle of their colleagues. It’s vital to recognize that even though people work in the same teams and on the same projects, the way they approach their tasks can be very different.

Employees who find themselves chronically overworked and burning the midnight oil need to reprioritize their lives. They need to start putting their physical and mental health, as well as their relationships, higher than their jobs again. Work gives us purpose and pays the bills, yes.

But you can’t do your job well if you barely sleep, eat poorly, and ignore the most important people in your life.

Establishing a healthy (or, well, at least a healthier) work-life balance comes down to boundaries. To put it simply, you need to start changing how you approach work if it’s all you ever do and think about.

That might mean that you stop reading emails and taking calls after your office hours end. It might mean putting your phone on flight mode so you can spend a wholesome dinner with your family, without any distractions.

No matter how important you are at your company and how much money you rake in, you need to have other things to occupy your time. That might be art, dance, music, athletics, travel, or absolutely anything else.

You might want to consider using some of your days off to go on a proper vacation. You can use that time to recharge and remember what you enjoy in life, other than making strides in your career.

And when you get back to work, ask for a raise, join a union, or consider looking for better opportunities at other companies.

At the end of the day, it’s time spent with our loved ones that matters more than what’s in your bank account. That might sound cheesy, but it’s true. Research has unequivocally shown this. An 80-year study from Harvard has found that it’s our positive relationships that make us happiest and healthiest. So it only makes sense to prioritize them instead of leaving them on the back burner.

The ‘Eff Workipedia’ account was created in early 2020. Over the past 3+ years, the page has garnered 61.8k followers on Instagram.

The curator describes the project as a collection of ‘antiwork’ memes, referring to the movement that is incredibly popular on Reddit. People who embrace the antiwork mindset generally want a new way of looking at work. As something meaningful, purposeful, and lucrative, not just based on exploitation and fear.

Which of these work memes did you relate to the most, Pandas? Which ones made you laugh the hardest? Did you send any of them to your colleagues while they were busy with their work deadlines? What would you change about your workplace culture if you could? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. And remember to take some time off!