1. 800. 973.1177
CAREER CORNER
Many employees just going through the motions [Michael Kinsman] Two years ago, Southwest Airlines received 225,895 resumes and hired only 1,706 people. Your chances of getting accepted at the Harvard Business School are better than getting hired by the Texas airline.
Do you think there’s any correlation between
In consulting circles, this is known as
appreciated and valued, they’ll be much more
that fact and that the airline continues to
“presenteeism,” or being there when you
likely to be engaged in their jobs, creating a
perform well in an industry plagued by
aren’t really there.
winning formula for their employer.
The easiest thing for supervisors to do when
There are some basics of employee
bankruptcies, downsizings and labor woes? Southwest Airlines pays employees a
they run across these individuals would be
competitive salary, offers its share of
to fire them and find another employee who
advancement opportunities and has a line of
will be more interested in their work. But it
benefits like most other companies. Yet, the
isn’t that easy. The loss of productivity due to
company continually shows up on the lists of
presenteeism is estimated as high as $150
the best companies to work for because its
billion a year, which suggests the problem is
employees enjoy their work conditions and
far more pervasive than a bad employee here
work hard for the company.
or there.
There is no magical formula here. Southwest
In actuality, you can probably spot at least
Airlines has simply found a way to tap into
several of these individuals in your own
employees that most other companies don’t
workplace.
even realize exists. And, it shows up in the bottom line. But most of us don’t work for Southwest Airlines, or a company that seems anything like it. We often go to work because we have to, not because we enjoy it. We want our supervisors to see what we have accomplished and tell us our work is appreciated. But when that doesn’t happen, our spirits sink and that is reflected in our work. Then, in words of consultants Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, we become “The Invisible Employee.” In their book of that name, Gostick and Elton
“The sad thing is most leaders of people have no idea about the unhealthy state of their workplaces,” they say. “They have a pretty darn clear idea what their bosses want. They know quite a bit about their customers and their needs. They can recite by heart their product lists. But what do they really know about the needs of the people who actually get the work done for them?” This is even more tragic when you see what happens because of this. When workers don’t feel connected to the company and an integral part of it, they will either leave for a new job, or, stay and put in time, but not the energy or creativity that helps make companies better.
contend that there is little worse in the
What employees want is recognition that
corporate world than invisible employees
their work is valued. They want it more than
who bring their bodies to work day after day,
a pay raise, or any other thing the company
but are not engaged in their jobs.
has to offer. If they know that their work is
PAGE
recognition that Gostick and Elton point out: celebrate worker accomplishments, be specific in where you found value, be sincere in your praise, and make sure everyone in the work unit knows that an individual’s work has been praised. Bob Nelson, a motivational speaker and rewards expert in Southern California, has been preaching this for years. Nelson understands that employee recognition is the top driver of human performance. “There’s a difference between getting people to come to work and getting them to do their best work,” Nelson says, indicating the recognition often has little or no cost to the employer. “Recognize people for good work and they’ll be more likely to do more of it; others will notice and emulate that success. Consistent recognition helps you keep important ideas and goals in front of people. It leads to higher performance and morale, lower turnover and an enhanced ability to attract talent.” The Society for Human Resources Management reports that lack of recognition for their efforts is cited by 79 percent of employees as the reason they seek other jobs. It seems like figuring out a way to communicate to your employees that they are valued can pay steep dividends. So why isn’t it more common? © Copley News Service