What if ‘Work’ was a Product?

Let’s re-imagine how we can achieve Future of Work today.

Imagine work as a product—a daily choice that employees make, similar to subscribing to a service or renewing a membership. They could “renew” their commitment each day based on the quality of their experience. In a marketplace filled with choices, if work doesn’t meet their expectations, they might “shop” elsewhere. 

 

This mindset isn’t just theoretical; the current labor trends suggest a growing disconnect between companies and their employees. The Great Resignation, quiet quitting, and return-to-office debates have revealed deep dissatisfaction with traditional workplace models.

 

To adapt, companies need to reimagine the employee experience by asking: What if we treated work as a product, and employees as customers?

The Data Speaks: A Need for Change

Research reveals an urgent need for innovation in workplace design. According to Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report, only 23% of employees feel engaged in their roles, and a mere 34% report “thriving” at work—a figure that is even lower for younger employees. Over half (52%) are actively exploring new job opportunities. If work were a product, such low engagement rates would signal an unsustainable offering. It’s time for a shift toward an employee experience designed as intentionally as a product.

 

This approach centers on treating employees like valued customers, understanding their needs, and continuously iterating on the work experience based on their feedback.

Learning from Product Design: Case Studies in Innovation

Some forward-thinking companies are already experimenting with product design principles to create a more compelling employee experience:

 

• • Asana: Managers at Asana refer to the “leadership product” they deliver to employees, framing management as something to be continuously improved based on employee feedback. By conducting regular check-ins, Asana aims to preempt dissatisfaction, taking action to make work at the company more appealing. This proactive approach mirrors the way companies refine products to maintain customer loyalty.

• • Eli Lilly: The pharmaceutical company has started mapping employee journeys similar to customer journeys, identifying the touchpoints that shape the overall employee experience. By treating employees as customers, Eli Lilly gains insights that guide improvements to their workplace, creating a work environment that supports retention and job satisfaction.

• • Shopify: Recognising that employees have varying needs, Shopify offers a “Flex Comp” program that allows employees to choose a mix of cash and equity in their compensation packages, tailored to their unique life and career stages. This customer-centric approach acknowledges that employees, like customers, value options that align with their personal circumstances and goals.

Implementing a Product Mindset: Practical Steps for Organisations

To integrate product design principles into workplace strategy, companies can consider these key steps:

 

1. 1. Discover What People Want from Work: Start by understanding why employees “hire” their roles. Just as products serve specific purposes, employees “hire” jobs to fullfill needs beyond just income. They may seek personal development, community, structure, creative challenges, or the chance to make a difference. Conducting qualitative and quantitative research—surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews—can help uncover these underlying motivations.

1. 1. Map the Employee Journey: Borrowing techniques from customer experience, visualise the employee lifecycle from recruitment to exit. Identify pain points and areas for improvement. Employee journey mapping enables companies to pinpoint stages where support or intervention could boost engagement.

1. 1. Iterate Based on Feedback: Develop new initiatives on a small scale and refine them based on employee feedback. This iterative design allows for a tailored experience that evolves over time. Dropbox, for example, worked with design experts to test different models of remote work before implementing their “Virtual First” strategy, ensuring the final design truly aligned with employees’ needs.

1. 1. Personalise the Experience: Recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. Offering flexible schedules, tailored development paths, and choice-based benefits helps meet diverse employee preferences. Employees who feel understood are more likely to stay engaged and committed.

1. 1. Continuous Improvement: Product innovation relies on continuous feedback, and so should workplace design. Establishing feedback loops and using data analytics to monitor workplace satisfaction help ensure that companies stay aligned with their employees’ evolving needs.

The Subscription Mindset: Renewing Work Every Day

Treating work as a “subscription” emphasises that employees can “renew” their commitment daily. If the work experience fails to meet expectations, employees are increasingly willing to cancel that “subscription.” In fact, gig economy companies in the Technology sector rely on independent contractors who can decide moment-by-moment whether they want to work on that project or not. While traditional companies don’t face such fluidity, the broader lesson is clear: to retain talent, companies must consistently provide a valuable experience.

 

A recent survey from KPMG found that nearly 70% of HR executives agree that HR “needs to completely reinvent and transform itself.” This shift includes exploring how work can be adapted to meet the real desires of employees—a lesson the gig economy has learned firsthand. Employees who feel dissatisfied or disconnected have ample options to explore and leave if they feel their needs aren’t being met.

Work as a Product: A Comprehensive Call to Action

Viewing work as a product isn’t just a change in language; it’s a shift in organisational priorities. By framing work as something employees actively choose each day, companies can adapt to the evolving workforce and cultivate environments that support both business and employee well-being. Product design is about creating value, solving problems, and meeting needs. When applied to work, it encourages companies to build environments that people not only tolerate but choose to engage with daily.

 

The challenge for leaders is to ask: What do employees really want from work, and how can we ensure they choose to “purchase” that experience each day? Workplace Strategy is critical to understand this.