Start By Throwing Your HR Practices Out the Window
“Everywhere I go I ask workers, How much of your time do you spend circumventing stupid rules and ridiculous demands that have nothing to do with what you were hired to perform? Rarely do I hear “under 50%.” The truth is that most people are spending most of their energy and ingenuity circumventing the organization of which they are a part.” – Dee Hock, founder and former CEO of VISA
According to Gallup’s 2011-2012 ‘State of the American Workforce’ report, up to 70% of workers across all industries are disengaged at work – and traditional human resources practices are to blame.
Language like “human capital” and “human resources” make people feel less like human beings and more like just a number, resulting in a feeling that their contributions as a fully formed person won’t be appreciated at work. The common practice of setting sales or production targets and quotas doesn’t help workers see the bigger picture; workers need to know how these targets contribute to the overall success of the organization and what role the organization plays in customers’ lives. Skilled and talented hires aren’t provided with the support, resources, or equipment to excel in their expertise areas, leading them to believe that their managers are setting them up to fail or that they are in the wrong role entirely.
Even the way employees are rewarded can cause disengagement. The classic promotion-as-praise system may be perceived as punishment wrapped in a pretty bow; promotions force added responsibility on workers and the higher salary may not be worth it. But since our social norms recognize promotions as signs of success, workers can feel pressured to accept a promotion even though they may be more comfortable in their old role. And promotions as rewards risk placing ill-suited individuals into management roles, where their impact has a negative effect on the rest of the staff.
Disengaged workers can be toxic to any organization. While there are a few individuals who will be unhappy with everything, the fact is that most people enter a new job wanting to find satisfaction, success, and meaning in their work. Unfortunately, mistakes, negligence, and unclear expectations by management cause waning enthusiasm and disgruntlement. The result is a workforce that contributes the bare minimum of effort required and spends the majority of their time and energy looking for ways to avoid responsibility. Worse, negative attitudes about the company may spread to other employees. The bigger picture is high staff turnover, inefficient workflows, and loss of profit: Gallup’s survey found that companies with high employee engagement scores are linked with increased profit margins, outperforming low-scoring companies by 147%.
Engaged employees, on the other hand, are a key factor to your company’s success. These workers are emotionally connected to their work, contribute high rates of productivity and efficiency, and are linked with increased staff retention and profit margins. They also tend to be more innovative, possess a solutions-based mentality, are more likely to be proactive, and often have more stamina in the face of adversity at work. And yet, engaged workers are in the minority despite working under the same conditions as disengaged workers. How do companies with high scores engage their employees?
The first step is to make sure you’re hiring the right people. Potential hires that will fit into your company culture are already naturally inclined to be emotionally connected to your mission and vision. It’s also important to make sure that their skills and talents are suited to the role you are trying to fill, and that the role and the company will support those candidates’ career and personal goals in the long-term.
Secondly, providing employees with adequate support, such as resources, tools, and knowledge to do their jobs well goes a long way towards the employees’ feeling that the management team values them and is looking out for their wellbeing. Following up that support with clear expectations – and demonstrating how these expectations line up with the overall mission and vision – will give employees opportunity to take the reins and self-evaluate their job performance, as well as help them understand how their role contributes to the bigger picture. And don’t forget to be generous with appreciation; regularly recognizing employees for their hard work and achievements is the best reward you can give.
Creating a culture that nurtures your people – not your “human capital” – has many benefits, the most obvious of which is a productive and profitable team. It takes a lot of effort to care about your employees, but it’s worth it so that they can respond in kind.
By, Casey Leung