Editor's note: Your employees aren't just
working for you for the paycheck at the end of the week. Every employee
that quits a job, does so because they weigh the value of their current
employment situation over the value that they perceive in the
alternative.
The Good Lord
prepared people to work and in general, people are far happier when they
do. But to keep them working for YOU, your employees must find that
their work is meaningful. A pointless job or one that is not fulfilling
their personal needs is going to make the employee feel like they are wasting
their time. Use this article to help you help your employees find
meaning, and therefore, stay happier employees.
Helping Mid-Life Employees Find Meaning
by: Craig Nathanson
People work to live, but most also live to
work. A study on the meaning of work conducted back in 1987 revealed a strong
attachment to work as a way of life. The study found that 86 percent of people
would continue working even if they had enough money never to work another day.
There could be no better indication that work is not simply a matter of putting
food on the table, but is core to the being of most adults.
Adults in mid-life in particular often find
this sense of work as a central component of their lives under direct assault
from a business culture that undervalues personal fulfillment as an essential
driver of productivity.
I believe the next wave of workforce management
for enlightened corporations will be to focus on “softer” indicators of
productivity. Fulfillment, meaning, satisfaction, and that intangible sense that
the job is about more than a paycheck are what will make all workers, in
particular those in mid-life, more productive.
The alternative to paying attention to these
issues is to suffer high levels of attrition among mid-life workers. Some
corporations take the short-sighted view that “experienced worker” is a
euphemism for “highly compensated” and therefore see little reason to make
any effort to retain older employees. Enlightened organizations understand that
this is a penny wise and pound foolish approach.
Mid-career, mid-life employees are often among
the most productive, skilled and dedicated in an organization. And as
compensation plans tend to be more variable and results-oriented than in the
past, it is less of a concern that more tenured employees earn more money just
because they have been with the organization longer.
As everyone knows, the cost of retaining an
employee is considerably lower than the cost of hiring and training his or her
replacement.
Retention programs have tended to focus on
tangible rewards. Bonuses, tuition assistance, flexible working hours, concierge
services, even free gourmet coffee!
What has not been central to retention
strategies is the soul of the mid-life, mid-career employee. So what practical
measures can corporate HR and line managers take to nourish the souls of their
most important employees?
Encourage employees to explore their inner
needs.
Many mid-life employees are essentially
satisfied with their work. They are challenged, never bored, and believe they
are putting their skills to good use. Yet they may not be sufficiently
introspective to understand whether they are building the deep level of career
and life satisfaction required for true contentment. The challenge here is that
such employees are just one wake up call away from questioning everything in
their lives. Consider balance, introspection, exploration of different desires
and interests, many of which are not work-related, a kind of preventive medicine
for the soul.
Provide a safe environment to express personal
needs.
The fear of projecting weakness is a powerful
undercurrent in corporate culture. Organizations that provide a safe environment
to express fear and doubt and explore ways to address these concerns will defuse
many potential retention challenges among employees who fear reprisal if they
confide a desire to achieve more work-family balance, take off time to pursue a
personal interest or take a new direction in their careers. Organizations need
to make their employees feel comfortable to ask questions, confide doubts or
concerns. More critically, organizations need to demonstrate they will treat
these confidences appropriately and direct them toward a higher level of
employee satisfaction, rather than use them as “ammunition” at the next
performance review.
Make “renewal” a job requirement.
This may seem counter-intuitive. Force
employees to take time off every so often to walk barefoot through the park. Or
more substantively, strongly encourage them to pursue outside interests. Ask
yourself if there is a member of your staff that sings in cabarets on the
weekends. Was this information volunteered? Or did management find out by
happenstance? Was management’s reaction to reserve a table at the next
performance or have a hallway meeting to question whether this employee valued
lounge singing more than her job?
Think of it this way. If the cabaret singer
feels comfortable pursuing her avocation, she is less likely to regard work as a
burden that keeps her from pursuing a personal passion. Encourage that pursuit,
and it is much less likely the two activities will come into conflict.
Taking
an intangible like personal fulfillment and turning it into a job benefit is a
significant challenge. It is much easier to give time, money or prizes. But the
benefits of tangible rewards last only as long as the money, or the time, or the
novelty of the prize. Encouraging the deeper personal satisfaction of key
employees offers a bigger and longer lasting pay off.
About The Author
Ed
Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of
leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team
building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com,
or call him at (757) 427-7032. Goto his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com,
and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook,
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