“The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead.
Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.”
/Bill Gates/
The corporate world changes. This premise isn’t very hard to accept. Those changes are complex, and have many different aspects — probably more than we could enumerate. CEOs and senior managers address these challenges with varying degrees of success.
However, one crucial aspect of change is often overlooked, ignored, or simply misunderstood — that of the employees. Below are several of the key employee misconceptions that can lead your company into a trap. Once entangled, it’s going to be difficult to escape.
Myth #1: Employees are grateful just to have a job
Maybe this was the case 10 or 20 years ago — but not anymore. Employees’ general attitudes and career opportunities have changed a lot since then. They are no longer loyal to companies, that is, unless the company and its top management merit it.
The problem is that there are still many who don’t know how to earn employee loyalty. Informing employees proactively about changes and the reasons behind them, involving them in decision-making, seeking their input – all of these are positive steps that a senior manager or CEO can implement in order to make the company more desirable to employees.
Myth #2: Money is everything you can give to your employees
Of course, the salary and benefits play a crucial role in where a candidate decides work. Even after, no one would reject a raise. But money — even if it’s a lot — is not enough.
An all-star employee will work at another company with a similar salary if they find the atmosphere more flexible or more engaging. In other words, your best employees will be seeking a place where they feel that they’re being valued, both financially and from a non-monetary point of view. Money is necessary, but rarely sufficient.
Myth #3: There are plenty of candidates for the job
Sometimes I hear from senior corporate managers that “there are plenty of many strong, qualified candidates for this position.” They’re probably right, but I don’t have to emphasize how rapidly a poor reputation can spread.
If management sets policies that leave employees feeling mistreated or alienated, word will spread quickly. Before realizing what’s happened, the company may find the best candidates applying to competing companies — perhaps even those who already work for them.
Adopting changes
Change management is most effective when leaders remember that loyalty must be earned through both monetary and non-monetary efforts, and that recruitment has a lot to do with whether the people already in their organization are satisfied. If you remember these points, it’s going to be easier to make changes that benefit your business now and in the future.
The main rule is the Golden Rule. If there is one rigid maxim in today’s corporate world, it is to treat your employees the way that you’d like to be treated. This may sound easy, but it requires focus. The reward for that effort is a better corporate reputation, less turnover and a more satisfied team. Wouldn’t you want to work at a place like that?