The employer’s wishlist
We often read about how an employer can attract and retain motivated and happy staff. In fact, many organisations spend a fortune on conducting culture and engagement surveys with their employees every year to find the answers to this conundrum. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of employee opinion surveys, information from surveys underpins relevant HR strategies, but I don’t often read about what makes an ideal employee. What is an employer’s wishlist when it comes to creating the ideal workplace full of happy, productive and low maintenance employees?
Most organisations have job descriptions and selection criteria which they use for recruitment and performance appraisals, but how many employers have a secret wishlist of the perfect employee? Imagine if we could log onto e-bay and buy this perfect employee, what would they look like?
Well I have asked around and this is what I heard:
- Low maintenance employees – employees who are self motivated and don’t rely on fruit baskets, massages and free drinks to come to work and do a good job.
- People that genuinely like and respect their boss and are prepared to give them a fair go.
- Employees that are actually ‘turned on’ by KPI’s, targets and goals.
- People with an ‘owner’ mentality who think and behave like they own the business.
- People who make decisions as if it was their money they were spending.
- People that don’t have the word ‘can’t’ in their vocabulary.
- Employees that hate gossip, bullying and general bad behavior.
- People that are good at communicating ‘up’ to their manager and give them the full story, all the information, and don’t hold back.
- Employees that speak up and don’t shut up and come forth with their ideas and suggestions.
- People who step up when times are tough.
- Employees that give as well as take.
The list is endless, as it would be if I asked employees the same questions about their ideal employer. However, I wonder if we started conducting some more employer surveys asking CEOs to describe their ideal employee and we publicised the findings in every management magazine and newspaper, would it contribute to a more harmonious relationship between employers and employees?
Do you think employees really know what employers want?
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A lot of it has to do with the employers themselves. Everyone wants to work in a positive environment where achievements are rewarded, and where they feel valued for the work they do.
However, it isn’t always reflected throughout the chain of management. Lower-level management can only feel encouraged to do their best if they feel respected and valued by middle management, and middle management can only do their best if upper management show them the same in kind.
I have worked in many organisations at all three levels, and one rule continues to ring true: good leadership will bring good people. Bad leadership will bring bad people. How often do we hear anecdotal evidence of a certain manager in an organisation leaving and there being an exodus of staff shortly after, whether it be for the good or the bad of a company?
At the end of the day, regardless of what management position you have in a company, the buck stops with the person staring back at you in the mirror, regardless of how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ your employees are.
As an Executive of a small 75 employee software company, I agree with your wish list. But when you have these types of employees who are all these things, its is a small price to pay to reward them with the fruit basket or “carrot” that is talked about in the business world. If you know what is most important to them in the personal lives, the smallest gesture can show these hard working, dedicated employees who don’t know the word can’t, will be that much more happy and feel appreciated with gestures of appreciation.
The bottom line is whether there is synergy between what employers and employees want in their working environment. I think that is the key in resolving any sort of internal friction.
It is something that can be argued until the end of time, but a simple evaluation measure may just instill some importance to each others main motivators, and allow understanding and/or compromise.
Some of the best managers I have seen have such an incredible engagement model with their staff as to put them as equals, allowing for free-flowing of ideas that ultimately work to build the business. This is as close as could be expected to finding that key common ground, which allows managers to trust their staff and for employees to see their employment as more than a job.
Until this is achieved, businesses are just treading water.