Als medewerkers verwijzen naar hun werk met: ‘het bedrijf’, ‘de zaak’ of ‘dat bedrijf’ en naar collega’s verwijzen met de aanduiding ‘zij’ is het waarschijnlijk dat ze bij bedrijven werken waar de sfeer slecht is en het verloop hoog. Als medewerkers over ‘ons kantoor’ en ‘onze onderneming’ praten dan is het waarschijnlijker dat het verloop onder medewerkers laag is. Zij werken dan waarschijnlijk harder en voelen voldoening van hun werk. In de woorden van James Pennebaker, schrijver van het boek The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us:
Management consultants sometimes distinguish among I-companies, we-companies, and they-companies. To get a rough idea of an organization’s climate, they ask employees to talk about their typical workday. If employees refer to “my office” or “my company,” the atmosphere of the workplace is usually fine. People working in these I-companies are reasonably happy but not particularly wedded to the company itself. However, if they refer to “our office” or “our company,” pay special attention. Those in we-companies have embraced their workplace as part of their own identities. This sense of we-ness may explain why they work harder, have lower employee turnover, and have a greater sense of fulfillment about their work lives. And be very concerned if an organization’s employees start calling it “the company” or, worse, “that company” and referring to their co-workers as “they.” They-companies can be nightmares because workers are proclaiming that their work identity has nothing to do with them. No wonder consultants report that they-companies have unhappy workers and high turnover.
Het boek van James Pennebaker waaruit geciteerd werd.