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by Bruce L. Katcher, Ph.D.
In today's tight labor market, organizations are
desperately trying to retain valuable employees. Cash bonuses, stock
options, and pay increases are commonly used to entice employees
to stay, but are only
marginally effective.
The SECRET for maintaining a committed workforce
is evident when I conduct employee opinion surveys.
I typically begin the process by conducting on-site
focus groups to learn what's on employees' minds. Often, the 8 to
10 employees in the group spend the bulk of our time together complaining
about their supervisors, their pay, and a multitude of perceived
inefficiencies.
After about 45 minutes of this griping, I ask
them: “You've all said so many negative things about your
organization . . . why on earth do you still work here?“ Always,
there is a long, reflective silence followed by the following words:
“The reason we stay here is THE PEOPLE; e
like the people we work with.“
I also conduct seminars for employees who have
recently lost their jobs due to layoffs. When I ask them what they
will miss most about their jobs other than the pay and benefits,
always, their first response
is: THE PEOPLE. They say, “We will miss the people we worked
with.“
What does this suggest?
- People need people. You've heard this expression many
times. It is true. Social stimulation is one of the major reasons
that people come to work, even though most are totally unaware
of this need. Interacting with coworkers, sharing thoughts and
feelings, and just being around others are all extremely important
to employees. This is especially true in today's society where
most people feel alienated from each other and where, for many,
a strong sense of neighborhood and community are merely relics
from the past.
- Employees thirst for a shared reality. The work world
is very confusing, stressful, and uncertain. To bring order to
this chaos, employees strive to understand their situation by
continually conferring with their coworkers to construct a coherent
image of their environment. Van Maanen, the renowned organizational
sociologist, called this an “in-the-same-boat consciousness.“
How can employers use these insights?
Since “the people“ is what binds employees
to their organizations, employers should focus on creating environments
that enable employees to interact more. Here are a few suggestions.
- Avoid the cyber-disease “emailitis.“ Employees
shouldn't be glued to their computers all day or communicate with
coworkers primarily by e-mail. Discourage overuse of email.
- Get people out of those cubicles. It is not uncommon
for employees to work the entire day without engaging in a single
real conversation with anyone in-person or via the telephone.
Encourage more face-to-face meetings and group projects.
- Encourage social interaction. Set up tables near your
coffee pot so that people can schmooze while they recharge, encourage
employees to eat lunch together, call meetings at the beginning
and end of the workday to help get everyone on the same page,
encourage walking around and socializing, push your socially isolated
employees into social situations, and arrange social gatherings
just for the fun of it.
These suggestions, which skeptics could easily
view as inefficient time wasters, will help bind employees to your
organization in ways that a bonus or pay increase never can
Bruce L. Katcher, Ph.D., is president of The
Discovery Group, Sharon, Massachusetts. He can be reached, via e-mail,
at brucekatcher@erols.com.
Copyright 2000, Bruce L. Katcher, The Discovery Group.
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