Compartmentalization - Does it breed success in the workplace or not?

Compartmentalization is a word you don't hear about much in "corporate America". The most commonly shared practice of compartmentalization in corporate environments is to separate work from family, family and work from your faith, and to maintain the attitude that your job is first and foremost. There are different degrees of compartmentalization required by each organization, and the expectation to compartmentalize may not be consciously imposed, but I feel most people would agree that there is a real problem with corporate American philosophy regarding this unspoken topic. Here are some statistics related to our practice of compartmentalization.

• 28% of U.S. employees are unhappy with their boss
• 84% of workers are not in their ‘dream job.
• 80% of employees do not think their job is fun
• Only 50% of employees are satisfied with their job
• 21% of workers feel their boss is untrustworthy
• Every year, 2.5 million people will quit their job
• #1 reason people quit: poor relationship with their boss
• 24% of workers feel they can do a better job than their boss
• 32% of workers call in sick when they were not

These are some staggering statistics. I can't help but wonder why 80% of Americans don't like
their jobs. When we spend 60% of our lives at work, doesn't it seem like we should enjoy the job we do day in and day out? My dad used to tell me as a kid growing up, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." His advice clearly hasn't made it to most of the
population. I'm sure there are several reasons and factors for why people aren't happy doing
their jobs. There is a huge distinction I can see from people who like their jobs compared to those who don't. The root of their unhappiness is compartmentalization.

I have been around people who say after a few minutes of discussing work after hours, "well,
enough about work!" A friend told me once that when his sales manager was giving a speech
about production he stated something like this, "It doesn't matter what you feel like. If you
get into a fight with your wife the morning before you come to work, check your feelings at the door before you come in!" How can anyone believe that say when you get into a fight with your spouse before you come into work that you CAN check it at the door? Instead of teaching someone they have to check it at the door, I would rather people come in with their baggage and let me help them learn how to work hard and achieve their goals in spite of whatever is going on at home or whatever may be holding them back. I believe we do not have different worlds that we put in different compartments. I believe we live in one world. I bring my family and faith into the work place and vice versa.

I love telling my wife about the things that are going on at the office. The good, the bad, and the challenges are the very things my wife wants to know about. We have a family oriented environment where kids and family are welcome. There is a culture that is created where people are doing life together and it thrives on helping one another achieve the things that are most important to them. It is important for people to feel like they are part of something - that they are needed and that they play a big part as an environment feeder.

Everyone has an ownership mentality at Diverse CTI. They own their role. I'm sure there are other factors that make it fun to come to work as I mentioned before, but one thing I know is that it is a lot easier for people to love where they work when they live in one world, are part of one team, and are trying to reach one goal together.