Leadership is listening . . . to employees

by Mary Beth Matteo, Founding Director of the S. Dale High Center

Knowing what your employees want and need from you sounds like the soft stuff, doesn’t it? In reality, understanding employee needs directly impacts the bottom line.

In a recent study, “Working in America: What Employees Want,” 82 percent of employees who are satisfied with their employer said that it motivated them to go above and beyond their responsibilities. A Deloitte study in 2004-2005 found that while “stock performance annual return of the SP 500 was 9%, the return for Best Companies to Work for was almost double, at 16 percent.”

Furthermore, as the economy begins to come back, baby boomers start to retire, and more jobs become available, the issue of recruiting and retention will again become huge. Understanding what employees are looking for is fundamental.

What employees expect from you:

• Clear goals and objective measurements for their success: companies that work on “whims,” murky goals, and favoritism are in trouble;

• Resources to do the task well and a reasonable time to do it in;

• Respect: the right to never be publically humiliated; tactful discipline is key;

• A vision: studies show that employees want their leader to inspire them and make them proud to be part of the organization, a team, or even a product;

• Autonomy: once the parameters have been set, working adults need freedom to achieve; micromanagement destroys initiative;

• Fairness: reward those who achieve; discipline workers and colleagues who are out of line; provide fair and reasonable compensation; and

• Productive and satisfying work environment; in most surveys, this trumps the salary issue.

Sum and Substance: research shows that there is a huge disconnect between what employers think their employees want, and what employees actually want. Narrowing that gap by looking at the research—and asking your people—will improve recruiting, retention and the bottom line.