Why do so many bosses think everyone's happy just to have a job, when more than half of the country's workers are dissatisfied and nearly 20 percent are plotting to take their skills somewhere else?
A recent USA Today article reported this disturbing disconnect. It highlights what I call the "Ostrich Syndrome." Tragically, this misalignment between workers and management could imperil the recovery of many companies.
The article quoted a Monster.com survey which found that more than eight of 10 employers say their workers are "just happy to have a job." Actually, only half of their employees feel that way. Even in the current market a SnagAJob survey says nearly 20 percent of employees are thinking about changing companies in the coming year.
So what's going on? Why are employers so complacent when many of their people are so unhappy that they're thinking of jumping ship? On what are those employers basing such powerful -- and delusional -- assumptions? Here's my take.
Often it's a combination of laziness and fear. Assumptions about what others think are not truly examined. It's easier to keep treating employees as things rather than people. And finding out how employees really feel is risky.
If companies don't take action now then their sharper competitors -- globally -- will scoop up the talent. And let's not delude ourselves. More cash is not always the answer. Some experts say money is often the last reason motivating people's moves. Employees need to know they're being heard, that they're having an impact, and that they're being treated with respect.
So if you're one those CEOs who's just realized you're a victim of the "Ostrich Syndrome," here's what you must do right now.
First, take a good look at yourself and your assumptions. Challenge the idea that everyone working for you is simply "happy to have a job." Second, commit to creating new relationships with your employees that develop their skills, talents and resources.
Ask real questions to real people. Walk the floor. Hold town halls. Don't leave it to your HR team. Take the lead yourself. Dialogue builds trust. And believe me, the employees will be thrilled that you -- not a department head or one of your managers -- actually care enough to ask them yourself.
Find out their values and principles. Ask how they're doing in these tough times, and what they need from you. Encourage them to reconnect with why they're working for you and what they bring to the business. Ask them about their deeper motivations. Find out what they want to create and the impact they'd like to have.
You'll learn what they need in order to stay and how they think they can contribute more to the business.
Dig deeper. Ask for stories about the company and where they see it heading. Prompt them to see themselves at the center of the business. Commit to making this an ongoing conversation. It must become part of your firm's DNA. This will reduce the risk of your best talent walking out the door.
This process can at times feel overwhelming and you'll certainly get answers you don't like hearing. But if you invest your time and energy, you'll be rewarded with committed, creative employees.
While it won't cost you a penny of your precious cash flow, I guarantee you'll be rewarded with a dramatically more robust culture. You'll see increased alignment across the business, greater collaboration and employees taking ownership of their work. Most important of all, productivity and profitability will benefit.
You can't afford to rest on your assumptions. Take your head out of the sand now.
Allen Schoer is the CEO of The TAI Group, an international leadership and organizational change consulting firm based in New York City.
Finding really capable bosses such as he proposes is rare in my 40 some years of employee experience as an engineer, and manager. My last boss, before I retired, was so intimidated by his
boss that he falsified test data because he thought the altered results were what his boss wanted. Need I say more?
Most people are elevated because of their job performance, which may have very little to do with managing people. My own experience is typical of this. Being given responsibilities for handling a group of people requires training in communications and teamwork, amongst other skills. Typically, the required characteristics are lacking, and training is not offered. Although candor, honesty and integrity are to be assumed, it is important that these traits be emphasized by the organization in order to meet goals set by someone like Mr. Schoer.
All managers at all levels should put communication skills at the top of their "need to have" list for future success. A manager who establishes trust relationships based on open communication and mutual respect creates an environment in which employees are more apt to strive for excellence and feel connected to the goals of the overall organization. An engaged employee is a more productive and loyal employee.
In my opinion, managers need to be "graded" on the quality of the relationships they build with their teams. And in my experience, most organizations don't do that even if they say they do. Successful CEOs lead by example but must insist on the same behaviors from their management teams. Working with HR, a quality employee communications team, and top notch leadership trainers to help hone communication skills in all the managers is the next step to the advice you wisely gave.
If a boss wants to inspire me, to motivate me and, in return, I will go above and beyond, they need to communicate, to ask questions, to be real people, and allow me to be one too.
Wow. wouldn't it be great?
Thank you Mr. Schoer. I hope many will read and listen.
I think everyone just wants to be seen and heard and if my boss models that, I promise - I will become more productive.
These are dangerous times, but this is the communications age. We must relate to each other as if our life denpends on it - because it does.
Besides, like Mr. Schoer says - it's free.
From what I know of workers, money might not be the only thing they want, but it is far more important these days than it has been in the last few years. Raises of over 3% were almost nonexistent over the last few years. Time has become the other precious commodity. Even on vacation, almost everybody who sits behind a desk knows they must keep in touch. We have sitcom skits about it, but its no laughing matter when a vacationer has to spend hours of "vacation time" making sure everything is going okay at the office.
I don't think bosses are delusional, I think they are jubilant! Why worry about workers when they cannot easily leave? Oh, and those people who are going to be enticed by "global" workplaces. Sure!, if you want to start off at 50% of your current US wage.
Human beings want to be seen and heard. What if leaders dared to listen deeply to the cares and concerns of their employees? What if employees could trust that their concerns/legitimate complaints were to be met with respect and dignity? What if the solutions lie in the conversations between us?
A dare say it would be a different world.
I dare say it would be a different world.
Deny, deny, deny! Not only is this the mantra of so many politicians and celebrities that find themselves in the news, but it is the mantra of Corporate America (and for that matter, Corporate Anycountry). Gripped by fear and anxiety, many Corporate Chieftains deny the people and culture problems that are right in front of them (if only they were only to take a clear-headed look around once in a while). For them, seeing clearly is far too unsettling when faced with a bleeding balance sheet and impatient shareholders.
These executives are a bit like the Viking captain, who, when informed by his first mate that the ship was sinking, instructed the coxswain to push the oarsmen to row harder, ignoring the leak and hoping to make it to the destination before sinking.
As Mr. Schoer points out, it is time for our corporate heads to take a deep breath and look around with fresh eyes – into the eyes of their people – and actually engage their people in the business. Otherwise, not only do they risk losing their best people to the competition (the small percentage who “quit and leave”), but they also risk the much more insidious phenomenon of those who “quit and stay,” giving just enough each day to be able to say to their family and friends “I’m just happy to have a job.”
Allen Schoer is right in his intuitive sense that everyone really wants to contribute to their job in a creative way. And for many, it is not just the money that drives them, as much as feeling free to have an ongoing dialogue with a boss that WANTS their input. I like his comment "Dialogue builds trust." The opposite is just as true. No dialogue = no trust, or at least a diffidence that suggests you don't matter that much, and your boss thinks you're a dime a dozen. It doesn't create loyalty, that's for sure.
As a teacher, I see that personal attention and encouragement to students gets better results than rules and recriminations. It is true for adults too; we like to hear from the "Head" how things are going. A few kind words and questions about our work are golden to the employee.