A major problem for employers and employers today is getting the best employees and then retaining them. It sounds easy, but any employer will tell you that these activities take the most time and have the biggest impact on business results. So how can you retain the good people once you’ve found them?
Understanding what your employees want from a workplace seems like a logical starting point. After all, if you know what your employees are looking for, you just have to provide it to them and everything will be fine. This is a great theory, but research shows that employers are not as successful in identifying what their employees really want. In fact, there is a significant disconnect between the things that employees say are important to them and the degree to which employers classify those same things.
This survey first appeared in 1946 in Foreman Facts of the New York Institute of Labor Relations and was again produced by Lawrence Lindahl in Personnel magazine in 1949. This study has since been replicated with similar results by Ken Kovach (1980 ); Valerie Wilson, Achievers International (1988); Bob Nelson, Blanchard Training and Development (1991); and Sheryl & Don Grimme, GHR Training Solutions (1997-2001).
When asked to rank a list of ten criteria, employees and managers / owners ranked them very differently:
What employees want What managers think their employees want
1 Full recognition for work done Good wages
2 Feeling “part” of things Job security
3 Comprehensive help in personal matters Opportunities for promotion / growth
4 Occupational safety Good working conditions
5 Good salary Interesting job
6 Interesting work Personal loyalty to workers
7 Opportunities for promotion / growth Discipline of tact
8 Personal loyalty to workers Full recognition for work done
9 Good working conditions Comprehensive help with personal problems
10 Tactical discipline Feeling “part” of things
What does this mean if you are an employer or manager in a business today?
Frequent patting on the back will go a long way toward making your employees more satisfied at work. Happily, it’s not always about the money.
WHAT EMPLOYEES SAY THEY WANT (in order)
1. Total recognition for the work done
2. Feeling “part” of things
3. Comprehensive help in personal matters
4. Occupational safety
5. Good wages
6. Interesting work
7. Opportunities for promotion / growth
8. Personal loyalty to workers
9. Good working conditions
10. Discreet discipline
WHAT MANAGERS THINK EMPLOYEES WANT (in order)
1. Good wages
2. Occupational safety
3. Opportunities for promotion / growth
4. Good working conditions
5. Interesting work
6. Personal loyalty to workers
7. Discreet discipline
8. Total recognition for the work done
9. Comprehensive help in personal matters
10. Feeling ‘part’ of things