Just how much unhappiness is there in the workplace? According to a study by the Gallup Organisation, 87% of people at work are not engaged with their jobs. What does that mean? Majority of the people at work do not like their jobs but are doing it anyway to earn, more than anything.
This is a sad reality that organisations need to deal with. But how? If you have a growing business unhappiness at work is something you need to address fast. There is so much at stake – quality performance, commitment to excellence, productivity, and sustained business growth (turnover is a primary issue).
Here are some pointers I believe are important in making your team happy and engaged.
The need for gratitude
Talents just want to be validated for their contributions to the company. The reason why many organisations fail to give good work environment for their people is they do not understand the concept of showing gratitude, of letting people know that they are important to the business.
Thanking people must be part of corporate culture. This simply means more tangible programs to honour good performance at work. There must also be a good rewards system for quality output, discipline and commitment.
The company and its talents should show gratitude on all levels, from one team to another, from leader to subordinate and from one talent to the next. Everyone should be someone’s ray of sunshine.
Growth at work is the secret to retention
Employees in their prime professional years (25-34) have an average of three years of tenure in their jobs. This can be broken down into the following stages: settling down in the job (1st year), starting to deliver good quality work (2nd year), and gearing up to create value for the business (3rd year). But that’s about it. The fourth year and the years after that can be a stale repetition of the previous one.
Without growth prospects it is very easy for talents to leave and find other jobs that can give them the fulfillment they need. Provide development opportunities and give your people a solid reason to stay. You have to remember it is your duty to know what your talents need, what drives them, what motivates them to do their job. Running an annual talents survey is one of the best ways to understand your workforce and how you can help them achieve their professional goals.
Finding meaning at work
Harvard Business Review ran a study way back in 2013 to know more about job satisfaction. It found out that 37% of the 12,000 professionals who participated in the study feel that their jobs are useless. They are not finding meaning in what they do and they cannot relate with the company’s mission.
People who find meaning in what they do are three times more likely to stay for good. What to do? Talents should be familiar with the company’s vision and mission and how the “big picture” translate to their daily functions. For example, if your company is making parts for an MRI scanner, you do not only focus on the timely delivery of those parts, you must also invest time and resources to make sure that your workforce understands that your mission “to deliver quality, defect-free parts” has something to do with saving lives.
This can help talents identify with the quality commitment, they can also find meaning in what they do, day in, day out. Knowing that they are doing noble and life-saving tasks can translate to better performance. People working for a purpose always achieve more.
