You can't buy commitment
As far as many employers are concerned, one sure-fire way to boost the commitment and contentment of their staff is simply to pay them more money. But according to new research, this could actually have precisely the opposite effect.
In fact employees who are more concerned with their material success, status and power than they are with helping colleagues or developing their own talents are more likely to be dissatisfied with their lives and are less committed to their organisation.
That’s the finding of research carried out at the University of Leuven in Belgium which challenges one of the most commonly-held beliefs about workforce motivation.
Psychologist Maarten Vansteenkiste quizzed 850 workers at all employment levels about their attitudes to work and what benefits were most important to them, such as good pay or better holiday entitlement.
The research, published in the Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, found that while some employees viewed their job as an opportunity to exercise their competencies and skills and make meaningful contributions to society, others focused primarily on financial success, having influence over others and occupying a prestigious position at work.
And critically. those who are motivated more by material rewards, extra money or status, had much more negative feelings about work.
These more materialistic staff reported feeling exhausted and unsatisfied by work and were more likely to consider quitting that workers who are interested in self-development and growth.
Interestingly the negative outcomes were also related to workers mental health with these workers experiencing more work-family conflict and general life dissatisfaction.
"The current ethos in many organisations today is to reward workers with material benefits but this research shows this could be counter productive for both the organisation and the employee", Dr Vansteenkiste said.
"Although these benefits may appear to be great motivators they, rather paradoxically, are not. This is because material rewards divert employees away from recognising/attaining other less tangible goals that are important to maintain good mental health such as working relationships with colleagues, autonomy and job satisfaction".
This article comes from www.management-issues.com
Posted in: General
Passion builds profits
The secret to building employee engagement is creating emotional connections between an organisation and it’s people, as a new study reveals just how dramatically passion boosts both productivity and business outcomes.
Employees who are passionate about their companies are the best performers, regardless of industry, tenure or gender, according to a study by Philadelphia-based consultants PeopleMetrics.
The survey of more than 5,095 workers across the United States found that fortune 500 companies in the lowest quartile in company profitability had 50 per cent fewer engaged employees compared to those in the top quartile.
“There’s no doubt – passion and profits mix”, said Kate Feather, PeopleMetrics Executive Vice President.
In terms of individual performance, the study found high performing employees were twice as engaged as their low performing counterparts.
While pay, benefits and resources to do one’s job are necessary for a certain level of employee engagement, Feather said that these are not sufficient to drive the highest levels of employee engagement and performance.
“We found that creating emotional connections to employees is what truly matters because this is where organisations can dramatically boost employee productivity and business outcomes”.
Building an emotional bond with employees, she continued, requires organisations to create a ‘sense of meaning and purpose’ among employees by connecting them to the ‘higher vision and purpose’ of the organisation,
Equally, organisations need to build trust and confidence through regular dialogue with managers and senior leadership as well as celebrating successes, having fun and showing individual appreciation.
“The concept of feeling love or passion for one’s company is gaining ground because a passionately engaged workforce is becoming an important differentiator in the marketplace”, Feather concluded.
This article comes from www.management-issues.com
Posted in: General
Talent Management Google Style
One company that seems to excel at talent management is Google.
Liane Hornsey, Director, EMEA Human Resources and Staffing told a CIPD conference in London “We are 100% reliant on talent therefore we only want the best people. Google is very hard to get into. We get 1,000 applications for every vacancy, every candidate goes through at least four interviews to get a job.”
She explained that once Google gets the right candidate they make sure they keep them. “We make our people feel important. As soon as the contract is signed we send them a present, then before they join we take them out to lunch and on their first day balloons and a cake welcome them.”
Hornsey says newcomers, also known as Nooglers, are assigned a buddy, have weekly meetings to discuss issues and training needs and attend support groups. Once working for Google, employees spend only 70% of their time on core jobs, with 20% on improvement activity and 10% doing anything they want.
“Many organisations make a mistake with training, they think training is the same thing as development – no, it isn’t. Development is about giving people the time to learn” said Hornsey. “At Google, talent is not just about the top people, it is everyone, it’s about broad succession planning.”
Posted in: General
Survey highlights the value of 'Listening to Employees'
Employee suggestion schemes can bring substantial benefits to an organisation, according to a recent survey.
The survey of 150 organisations by trade association ‘Ideas UK’ found that on average, 37% of all employee ideas submitted were implemented and typically, each idea saved the organisation £1,874. Ideas UK reports that last year, its members submitted over 64,000 ideas. From those implemented, a saving of more than £33m was achieved in a single 12 month period.
“This survey emphasises the importance of an organisation’s willingness to listen to their employees – a key employee engagement driver,” says Jon Coulter, Director of Prized People.
Source: www.onrec.com
Posted in: General
According to Investors In People, employees need support to satisfy customers
I’m in the middle of conducting some research for a client on ways to improve the level of customer service delivered by its employees. During one of my numerous google seaches I came across a piece of research published by Investors in People in the UK in March 2007, Employees need support to satisfy customers highlights some very interesting points…particularly and I quote “Improving customer service is a priority for employers of all types and sizes during 2007 – and employee engagement is the route to success.”
The research found that nearly six in ten organisations (59%) plan to invest more on customer service in the coming year than they did in the previous 12 months (40% will invest roughly the same). And 61% cite staff training aand development and better management as the most important route to achieving this. Only a quarter (26%) point to new technology and improved communications systems as the most important area for investment.
Employers also higlighted a range of challenges that they are looking to address in order to improve customer service levels. Nearly a quarter (23%) are specifically seeking to increase employee motivation, whilst 28% are working to overcome difficulties in recruiting the right people
Simon Jones, acting Chief Executive of Investors in People UK, commented:
“As customer service becomes an increasingly critical way to differentiate from the competition, organisations need to make sure they are doing everything in their power to keep customers engaged. Unsurprisingly, 97% of organisations said that ability and attitude of staff has a significant impact on customer service. This underlines just how important it is to find the right employees and both inspire and equip them to deliver the type of service needed to create a positive customer experience.”
“Employers should look to strike the balance between supporting employees, providing advice and assistance, and giving them the responsibility to respond to customer demands on an individual basis. Employees who are empowered in this way, and aren’t restricted by excessive procedure, will inevitably be more motivated and inclined to go ‘the extra mile’ for customers.”
Posted in: General
Plane speakers – the importance of good employee communications at easyjet
People Management Magazine, published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, this week has an interesting story featuring low-cost airline easyjet. Plane speakers outlines how no-frills people policies such as clear communication and seeking staff views have helped easyJet to make its rapid ascent – that, and making board members book their own flights…
Posted in: General
Cut staff turnover and boost profits with a 'duvet day'
Obviously a good week in the Sunday Times…another great article Keep staff happy wth a ‘duvet day’ argues that offering a good work-life balance – for example by rewarding employees with an occaisional lie-in – can cut staff turnover and boost profits.
Posted in: General
The link between Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Engagement
The Sunday Times Recruiter Forum published an excellent artice today on the link between CSR and Employee Engagement ‘Why it pays to give something back’. A study conducted in May, found that people who were satisfied with their firm’s commitment to social and environmental issues were more positive, involved and productive than those working for less responsible employers.
Posted in: General
