Emerging from the Recession

 

In our last newsletter, we talked about the widespread and unprecedented impact the recession has had on employers and employees. Now that an economic turnaround seems to be on the horizon, employers are beginning to think, again, about employee retention. Now is not the time to lose your best talent to the competition.

 

I have found a key to employee retention is helping employees become fully engaged so that they experience spirit at work - that sense that work is meaningful and fulfilling and an awareness of the contribution one makes.

 

Below are three ways to foster spirit at work used in our spirit-at-work program. More are found in my book Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters.

 

We can rethink work by:

 

1. Getting to the heart of what matters about work. Be clear about the deeper purpose of your work, what you are here for and the real point of your work.

 

2. Seeing work as an act of service. It is not so much about what we do and how we do it and how we think about our work. [See below]

 

3. Appreciating our contribution.  Understanding and appreciating how we make a difference through our work and celebrating our contribution helps us to be more enthusiastic and inspired.

 

These three ideas are at the core of my spirit-at-work program which we know positively impacts employee satisfaction, commitment and retention.

 

What is your organization or company doing to retain talent? Is it working? What sets you apart from your competitors?

Know Your Organization's Tipping Point

 

How long do employees stay in your organization? Aberdeen found that 86% of employees make the decision to stay or leave in the first 6 months. In the service industry - call centres, retail, fast food, etc. - 50% of employees turnover in the first 90 days! In the US, nearly 80% of jobs are service jobs. What is your tipping point - the point when most employees leave your organization?

 

Why do they leave so quickly? At first glance we might think it is about the new recruit's personality. A wrong fit with the work or the organization. Not so, says a study by the University of Florida.  

 

A study with over 1000 professionals in eight organizations found that the three reasons employees left within the first 30 days are: 

 

- relationships with supervisors

- relationships with colleagues

- reassignment of projects

How can you keep new employees? Know your organization's tipping point and be sure to have a plan to engage new recruits long before you reach that point. Need some ideas? Towers Perrin found the top three global reasons people stay are:
 

-organizations' reputation as a great place to work
-satisfaction with organization's people decisions
-good relationship with supervisor

The Business Case

 

Brunello Cucinelli has a philosophy of ethical capitalism. He is one of the world's best known manufacturers of cashmere products and a business man with firm values.

 

At the age of 15, Cucinelli noticed a deep change in his father when he stopped being a farmer and got a job in a cement factory. He said, "My dad came home from the factory with tears in his eyes and I resolved that whatever I would do with my life, it would be an attempt to make work more human." And he has.

 

Brunello Cucinelli shows that capitalism, social responsibility and spirit at work can co-exist. He says, "I believe in real capitalism. The company has to make profits, but I want to try to do it with the ethics of human dignity." While forecasts indicate that global sales of luxury goods will fall by 8% this year, Cucinelli is still expanding. And revenues are expected to be 7% more than last year.

 

The Brunello Cucinelli website states that his biggest dream is a form of modern capitalism where profit is used to improve the condition of human life. He values his employees and believes in treating them well. Although they work in a factory, no one punches a time clock and everyone gets a 90 minute lunch break. They can relax in an olive orchard garden around his villa or use a sports complex he built. Flexibility is built in so that employees can respond to family matters.
 
He rewards his employees, paying some of them 40% more than levels dictated by Italian national wage agreements. He also rewards good workmanship and productivity.
 
Cucinelli promotes a certain philosophy. The walls of the plant are filled with plaques containing quotes from philosophers and writers, for example, Socrates: "A life without searching is not worth living;" Aristotle: "Nature does nothing that is useless;" and Galileo: "Behind every problem lies an opportunity."

 

"When a human being finds favorable conditions of life he is more creative," said Cucinelli. "If we want to make high-quality goods, we need human beings. To convince a human being to do humble work, we have to make that work dignified."

 

Now that he is successful and living a very comfortable life, Cucinelli says, "The underlying question is what do to with the profits. Part of the profits have to go to help humanity. That means a church, a theater, or a work of charity. That is what I think the system of business should be."
 
Brunello Cucinelli shows that treating employees well and fostering their spirit at work can contribute to productivity and profits.  

Seeking Meaning through Work

 

The recession had caused many of us to rethink what is important in our lives. And in a recent Canadian study, less than 10% of us say making more money and career success are our top priority. The study results indicate that we are making more time for ourselves and creating our own personal vision of meaning and fulfillment - which is great news. So what is the problem?

We have completely skipped over work as an avenue for meaning and fulfillment. Yet that is where we spend most of our waking hours. And if work isn't fulfilling, it is depleting.

Work gives us an opportunity to find the meaning and fulfillment that we are so desperately seeking. It provides us a way to make a contribution; a difference in the lives of others. It gives us a chance to create a sense of community and to belong.

Spirit at work - that sense that work is engaging, meaningful and fulfilling - is available to all of us, regardless of position or the type of work we do.
One way that I help individuals and organizations cultivate spirit at work is through seeing work as an act of service.

Seeing Our Work as an Act of Service

 
All work matters and all work makes a contribution. When we begin to rethink our work and see it as being important, how we do our work and how we feel about our work changes.

 

It is not so much about what we do, but how we do it and how we think about our work. Serving others is the path to deeper meaning and fulfillment and spirit at work. We fulfill our deeper purpose by serving - serving others or serving a cause. It is through service that we make a contribution, and that is where meaning and fulfillment come from. As the saying goes, "It is through giving that we receive."

 

Often it is just a matter of our attitude and thoughts, because the work we are doing is already about service. This is the case for many employees and especially for those in the public sector and helping professions. However, if we do not see how we are serving others and do not take time to feel good about serving them, we lose most of the benefits. As did Sheila's colleague. [See story below.]
 
What would change if you saw your work as an act of service? What would you do differently? How would it feel to see your work as a noble calling? Start to rethink your work today.

Featured Book: Just Released

 

Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters

 

So many of us are looking for meaning and fulfillment in our work. To know that our work matters and what we do each day is making a contribution. To experience spirit at work.

 

At the same time, forward thinking leaders are looking to create spirit at work. They know that not only will workplace happiness increase, so too will engagement, productivity and retention.

 

Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters provides the tools for employees and employers to solve the pressing issue of job satisfaction and fulfillment by creating spirit at work. Val shares findings from a decade of results-based research. She relates inspiring real-life stories of "employees with passion" and provides field-tested exercises that will help you get to "the heart of what matters."

 

Spirit at work is available to everyone. It can and should be fostered.
 

Order today and benefit from our fall special. See below.       

Spirit at Work in Action

 

(from Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters)

Sheila was a graduate coordinator at a university. Among other responsibilities, she fulfilled the role of counselor to students. She dealt with students who ran out of money before their next loan was available, got kicked out of their apartment or ran out of food. Rather than be annoyed with the students, Sheila welcomed them. In fact, she looked forward to helping them. That was her job and she was there to serve.

 

Sheila felt good about being able to help the students solve their problems. She took pride in helping them achieve their goals and was often invited to their graduation ceremonies. She knew she was making a difference. Sheila was very clear about her purpose - to serve.

 

Sheila's experience was different than her colleague's experience. Although they did the same work, Sheila had spirit at work; her colleague was struggling with burnout. What do you think was different? Sheila's co worker was frustrated with the students and their lack of responsibility. She saw their visits as an interruption to her work rather than as a part of her job. She couldn't believe that these students could be so irresponsible and working with them took a toll.
 
How could it be that two people doing the same job have such a different experience? And what could the colleague do differently to change how they feel about their work?

 

She could rethink her work. Once she starts to see her work as an act of service, her experience of work will change. She will be looking for opportunities to make a difference in the lives of the students she comes into contact with. As she adopts the philosophy, "It is about them (the students), not about me" how she approaches her work will change. Finally, as she gets to the deeper purpose of her work - the real reason she is doing this particular work, she will experience fulfillment.