What is an optimal workplace?
What makes a job environment stellar vs. suboptimal? Which factors impact employee satisfaction and retention? How can one thrive in a suboptimal environment?
I’m not a big fan of Marty Cagan.
His views on product management often seem too idealistic and disconnected from the everyday realities of work.
But one thing he said really stuck with me:
Many product managers flooding the market today were trained in suboptimal environments
So, what exactly is a suboptimal environment?
The only ideas I had were based on simple, naive concepts.
If you're not excited about your work, not treated well, and paid unfairly, you're probably in a suboptimal workplace. Maybe, if you have more responsibility as a PM, that could also signal a better work environment.
But I realized those ideas were too simple, so I dug deeper.
I reviewed over 100 research articles on workplace culture and employee retention, spanning from the 1960s to today.
The key takeaway is a clear, practical model - free of academic jargon. It explains why people stay at their jobs, what makes a workplace truly great, and how you can contribute to building one.
I’d even go so far as to say it’s the most comprehensive and definitive guide on the topic that you can find anywhere on the web.
Today’s article
🔒 Why people stay. Key factors influencing employee retention. A deep correlation analysis of job satisfaction variables. The impact of inertia on employee decisions.
🔒 Thriving in a suboptimal workplace. How to survive and grow if you’re stuck in a suboptimal environment.
🔒 TL;DR. Key take-aways from the article for people on the go (2 minute read).
📝 Word count: 2999 words
⏱️ Reading time: ~21 minutes
