Title vs. Truth

Ongoing efforts to engage staff, constantly striving to embed vision, mission and corporate values into the very core of the organization’s framework, and creating an ‘identity’ is what ultimately determines the success of an organization. It is this identity or corporate culture that should be reflected in the awards and titles an organization achieves as a result of successful surveys. 

It is well known that this is not true of many organizations aspiring to win awards. Often surveys are approached with a demeanour similar to that of a student cramming for an exam a day or two before. The sad fact about cramming is that information is retained in short term memory, and forgotten soon after. A means to an end. Likewise, organisations create a temporary halo effect, before a survey is carried out, relying on the ‘feel good factor’ being fresh in an employee’s mind, to positively influence the survey.

Often this complicates matters, creating confusion amongst the employees who struggle with a distant memory of what a good place to work feels like, once everything reverts to normal after the survey is carried out. The organization has an identity crisis and the employees are disoriented. If indeed the award title says this is the Best Place to Work, why does it not feel that way? Earning the title ‘Best Place to Work’, does not necessarily equate to genuinely engaged and happy employees. This becomes a concern which leads to distrust and realisation that the whole exercise has been purely for the personal gain of an individual or a few individuals who have achieved their objective of "Brownie points".

Organizations need to exercise caution in setting expectation. Focusing on considering if employee happiness is sustainable? Do employees actually look forward to coming in to work after the weekend? Are employees aware of organizational direction, and their contribution towards it? Do employees actually believe in the organization, identify with, and carry a strong sense belonging? Positive answers to these questions is a good indication of an organization, well on its way to being truly the Best Place to Work OR at the very least, a Great Place to Work!

The more employees love their job, the more successful the organization would be as a whole.

Every organization aspires to be on par with the likes of ‘Google’ and ‘SAS’ in terms of being the best place to work. Very few however expend the effort associated with the ‘’employee centric” approach these organizations employ. Even fewer are actually willing to follow the “put the employee first” approach which would be a complete paradigm shift in terms of focus. The concept is not quantifiable in precise monetary terms, is time consuming, requires financial resources and genuine commitment by management, but once achieved and sustained the value realised has always far outweighed the cost of inputs.

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." Oscar Wilde.

In terms of engagement, organizations should recognize that an unbiased survey is the voice of their employees.  The manner in which an organization choses to listen to this voice will determine the employee attitude towards the organization. Surveys should be handled ethically. If the results are good, employees need to be praised, if they are not good organizations need to own the issues and let employees know the plan of action and follow through. This will ensure a better results the next time around by demonstrating visible management commitment to continuous improvement.

For credible survey results, honest responses are required. However occasions have been encountered where subtle and not so subtle messages have been circulated creating impressions and influencing survey responses. This can be prevented if organizations adopt the policy of open communication and transparency. Value needs to be tagged to employee responses and importance given to keeping employees informed of the progress, or in certain instances the reasons for rejection or postponement of their issues. This form of meaningful communication ensures employees are challenged, engaged and appreciated – thus committed to their own future in the best place to work (instead of having evil thoughts of moving to better places!).

Genuinely guide and develop employees, not as a tick in the box exercise of managing training targets. Align training with career enrichment, assess the need for mentoring, stress on self-improvement, while creating a culture of curiosity and realization for ‘learning’.

Focus on a work-life balance, understanding employees and supporting needs is key, enriching their life out of office will build loyalty and commitment.

Prioritize rewards and recognition, create awareness that employee inputs support the organization's overall drive, and appreciate their contributions. Keep in mind monetary benefits are not always required or even desirable.

Promote and respect diversity, attitude towards diversity originates at the top and works its way down. Management cooperation is paramount in creating a culture, conducive to the success of an organization's plan. In terms of executing diversity initiatives, foster the right attitude of openness, and promote diversity in leadership positions.

Organizations that don’t include employees in their list of top three priorities, will lose young as well as mature talent over a period of time. This underlines the importance to making decisions with employee happiness in mind where the employee is always satisfied that the principles of natural justice have been served across the organisation. Ponder on whether your employees are truly happy beyond that survey period, and that the pulse on the floor is truly reflected in the survey result.

Has your survey been a direct result of the organisation's endeavour to ensure a desired result? Or was it a genuine effort of every manager and leader, in putting their staff first so a positive result is not merely a response to a survey, but the actual feeling of the majority of employees within the organization? It’s the latter that will make an organization genuinely the BEST PLACE TO WORK!

‘ Engaged and driven employees, hail from genuine organizations that have far out lived the hype of a mere survey. These organizations not only talk the talk, but walk the walk’. - AT