Resignations are at an all-time high, and companies desperate to fill vacancies are experimenting with everything from pay raises to trendy perks. But those interventions are falling short as the real problem, is that so many jobs are stressful, meaningless, and.. unlovable.
To stop the flood and attract and keep the greatest individuals, we must reinvent occupations around a simple but powerful concept: passion for the work itself. Research suggests that only when a firm effectively integrates what people enjoy into their real operations will it achieve greater performance, more engagement and resilience, and reduced turnover.
In this article, we share seven practices that organisations can incorporate to help their employees "fall in love with their job."
1.Tell the company story in your words.
Sharing the history of the organisation with everyone helps bring home the purpose of their presence. What were the founders of the firm hoping to achieve with their endeavour? In what ways does the firm contribute to the well-being of its clients and the wider community? Discuss the reasons why each candidate was selected and what specific strengths and loves they saw in the person, including but also going beyond how those can add value to the overall mission of the organisation.
2. Encourage professional and personal growth.
Design your onboarding process to encourage new employees to set goals, both career and personal. These goals should be celebrated equally, regardless of whether the employee's aim is to someday become the CEO of the firm or to start their own company. During the onboarding process, placing an emphasis on an individual's specific goals will help you enhance employee retention rates as well as levels of employee engagement.
3. Promote a team culture of appreciation.
Find methods to regularly recognise each member of the team and urge others to do the same. It does not need to be a major or tedious undertaking. Simple expressions of appreciation and acknowledgment extended on a consistent basis go a long way towards making individuals in an organisation feel appreciated. For example, each team meeting can be closed with a round of appreciation from team members or you could also write a brief email to your employer appreciating a work well done by a team member. Even a simple thank you can make work relationships stronger.
4. Commit to lifelong learning
Employees want to learn and improve, so coaching and dialogue replace performance reviews and ratings. Therefore, to show your dedication to your team's growth and help them achieve their objectives, build your coaching abilities as a leader: listening, watching, asking outstanding questions, offering feedback, and supporting. And make sure employees get continual training, or time to work on their own projects. All these initiatives convey that employee growth and development have inherent value, even if it doesn't immediately benefit the firm.
5. Build trust with employees through team leaders.
To provide regular, customised attention, leaders must be empowered and delegated. Trust-building organisations see weekly employee-team leader check-ins as the basic human routine at work. The team leader will not evaluate or provide comments during this discussion. The leader will inquire: “What did you enjoy about last week?” You hated what? “What are your weekly goals?” How can I assist? Asking those four questions weekly for a year can help workers trust their leaders. Checking in in person, by phone, email, or app seems to make no difference. What matters is simply that it happens.
6. Allow for flexibility.
Work and family obligations are common competing priorities for members in today's workforce. Building trust, loyalty, and dedication in employees requires an understanding of and respect for the "whole" person, as well as doing everything is feasible to promote success in every facet of their lives. If you do your best to provide members of your team as much leeway as possible in terms of how, where, and when they finish their task, you will probably witness greater devotion from your colleagues to perform well and do a good job.
7. Support alumni.
Organisations with a great work culture have a systematic and well-thought-out offboarding programme that emphasises the notion that people's value as humans goes well beyond their time with the organisation. Many firms, including Accenture and McKinsey, have discovered that maintaining tight ties with a strong alumni group provides tangible advantages such as current customer growth and recommendations. However, it is also a means for firms to demonstrate their devotion to each employee as an individual.
So, what is the key to inspiring employees to give their all at work? While various "drivers" of employee engagement have been proposed by experts and is often quantified by employee surveys, it typically comes down to this:
People are most likely to invest in their jobs when they feel they’re making a meaningful difference, are valued, accepted, and respected, and have the emotional and mental energy to perform.*
In other words, it’s not about loving what they do, as it is about loving how they feel while doing it. When employees feel the love, they’re more inclined to love their job.
*Based on the research of William Kahn, professor of organizational behavior at Boston University, circa. 1990.