A 2014 survey indicated that 83 percent of workers planned to look for a new job. These employees said that they were exploring their options because they wanted more pay, more opportunities for advancement and more recognition.
The same survey showed that worker unhappiness was down dramatically from the previous year.
Employees don’t feel unhappy, they feel undervalued. Pay, advancement and recognition are all measures of worth.
In thinking about how to respond to these findings I refer the reader to a few of my favorite sources: Daniel Pink’s Drive and Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational. We are not very good at understanding our own behaviors or at predicting what will make us happy—and money is not the motivator we tend to think it is. When it comes to conveying that we value someone, context is critically important. In short, it is likely that some employers will read about this survey and respond in a well-intentioned way that reinforces the employee’s urge to leave.
Here at Cool Choices we think a lot about employee engagement—about what makes people feel like a valued part of a workplace community. We see constant evidence that recognition—from peers as well as supervisors—matters a lot. Our partners often marvel at the impact little things—like an email from the boss or a photo on the company intranet—can have on employee morale.
What are you doing to ensure your employees are engaged and feel valued?
Comments are closed.
