The 5 Things Your Employees Want From You

On my way back from delivering a leadership course in Europe last week I was drawn to a post from Leigh Branham on why employees leave their organisation; it’s based on a book of his that is an excellent read.

It highlighted that nearly 90% of managers think employees leave for money when the figure is closer to 12%. The post continued that 90% of Business Leaders believe an engagement strategy would make a difference and improve business performance. However, less than a quarter had any form of employee engagement activities happening in their workplace; shocking isn’t it?

Then how about this post from Personnel Today who shared a report by employee communications platform Speakap which revealed how vital workplace culture is to employees.

The research revealed that 42% of the 1000 people surveyed would rather work a 60-hour week than work for a company that does not value its culture.

Six in 10 (58%) said they would take a job with their organisation’s competitor if it had a better culture than their employer, while only 13% said culture was not vital to them.

This leads me to the nub of today’s post; what do our employees want from us. It would be easy to make assumptions so here are a few things to consider based on the many conversations I have with training course participants and coaching clients every week.

To Feel Both Respected and Valued

When did you last say thank you to a member of your team? I know we are all time–pressed and here to work through our ‘to-do’ list and…. I’m still waiting for an answer……

All too often we forget to give our employees the respect they deserve. Do we ask for their opinion or input? All too often I’ll hear a coaching client lament that when they went back into their organisation, their new idea was dismissed without a second thought.

In turn, as you value and respect your team, they respect you too, and trust builds.

A Vision To Work Towards

Goal setting is vital to business performance, of course, and building a vision that everyone can get behind is an essential part of the equation too.

If you want to see this in action visit any Disney theme park or Ikea store where a strong vision has built a fantastic culture that spawns happy employees too.

When Walt Disney was created in 1923, it had a simple vision. The company wanted to be the “world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”

Its core theme was to bring happiness to millions. It achieved that mission by imprinting magical and inspiring experiences on children that stuck around well into their adulthood. Disney’s vision has led it to be one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world for almost a century.

The key thing here is that Disney’s success has come from the power of its vision. A company’s success depends on having a solid vision for the future – and employing an engaged team that is dedicated to making that vision a reality; which your employees want, by the way.

Empowerment

Though this statement from Richard Branson might be well worn, I am going to share it anyway. Sir Richard is quoted as saying that why would you employ great people and then get in their way?
I have to agree – why would you!

Many people do though.

It’s better to work with your employees and discuss the outcomes you want. You might just be surprised by solutions you had never thought about.

Systems That Work

Depending on the size of your organisation, are your systems still fit for purpose? Or are they outdated and desperately in need of a refresh?

As human beings, we work better within a system that is built around structures and frameworks too.

Does your infrastructure give your employees the tools they need to excel in their role? This could include creating clear processes, providing adequate training, support and a clear career path. With all aspects being transparent.

Development

Fact: All human beings want to get ‘better’ at what they do. Though according to the popular press it’s only Millennials who want to be ‘developed’, but this simply isn’t the case.

As human beings, we are all success seeking creatures according to Maxwell Maltz the best selling author of Psycho-Cybernetics. This means that development is critical for everyone in our organisation and creating an organisation where ‘being’ developed is part of how things are done and will consequently lead to a workforce which feels their contribution is important.

How does your organisation fair? Are you a ten out of ten in all five areas?

About blue pea POD

At blue pea POD, we are in the business of enabling leaders and organisations understand who they are, their identity and purpose, creating the profitable future they desire now.

Blue Pea POD works internationally with a client base that includes the FMCG, Retail, and Pharmaceuticals sectors. You can subscribe to our podcast here and then if you would like to find out more about how we can help you get in contact here. Or call +44(0) 845 123 1280