What Employees Value Most

Employee security covers a range of diverse factors that collectively define an employee’s motivation for optimal performance and productivity. When employee security is high, so are retention, profits, and the overall operation of the organization allowing it to achieve its end goals.

In this competitive age, successful companies like Google have mastered the art of attracting and retaining the best talent across all their departments. Laszlo Bock, CEO, and co-founder of Humu and former SVP of People Operations at Google, and author of ‘Work Rules!’ lists the cornerstones of what employees really value.

This article extracts 3 key lessons we can learn from Google and how HR can finetune the corporate culture that positively affects behavioural patterns in a direction that drives and sustains employee security and satisfaction.

1. Make Work Meaningful

Bock references research published by Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton university who found that productivity increased by 40% when employees could connect their daily job to having a real sense of purpose. It is estimated that only 1 out of 3 find meaning in their jobs, which is very low considering how much time people spend at work over the course of their lifetime.

HR can work on finding out why people do their jobs, choose certain careers, and the meaning they personally derive from that. This is a good way to help the workforce find a connection to an idea or value that goes beyond daily tasks. If employees feel their contribution matters, it reinforces their value and encourages them to do more and to do better.

2. Trust Your People

When employees have control over their work-life, it increases both mental and physical health. Providing autonomy has a significant impact on individual performance and is a key predictor of work motivation and job satisfaction, which is often ranked higher than pay. Bock states “If you believe people are fundamentally good, you’re going to treat them that way.” Showing that you trust your workers’ judgment and ability is repaid through productivity and efficiency.  

HR can develop roles that are more fluid and offer more autonomy while dismantling channels that enable micromanagement. Through effective recruitment and employee development, everyone can be offered the opportunity for more discretion in decision-making as well as more latitude to manage their own work.

3. Pay Unfairly

It is estimated that at least 90% of the value provided by teams comes from the top 10% of the workforce. Ultimately, the best people are worth more than the average employees and both sides should know it. As Bill Gates once said, “A great software engineer is worth 10,000 times more than an average one.” Retaining the best means above-average compensation, implementing incentive plans, offering profit share, stock ownership, and also non-financial rewards will ensure competitors don’t pillage your top performers.

HR can publicly acknowledge individuals who are performing the best, as well as celebrate achievements of teams, and constructively highlight failures if lessons can be learned. Additionally, being honest with weaker employees about pay structures and how they can improve their performance and increase their rewards will help the organization prosper through everyone’s efforts.

Make a Breakthrough

As Laszlo Bock says, we have two choices: “Every day when we show up, we can fight and work and slog through our jobs and just survive like most of our workforces do, or we can do something, anything, to make work get better—or at least suck less.”

The human element is the foundation of any successful organization and incorporating technology solutions can significantly improve processes, so your employees can innovate and focus on giving their best.

KRIS Document Management System (DMS) enables HR professionals to improve workflows and effectively navigate employee management for increased employee retention and collaboration. Through using digital tools such as HR Document Management system, time is better spent on investing in your organization’s biggest asset – your employees.