Your Employees: “Should I stay or should I go now?”

 There is undoubtedly a bit of a major transformation of the working world going on. Some say it's a "clash” between old school and new school management.  Unemployment has never been lower, the number of job vacancies has never been higher, and yet there are more and more people choosing not to work – or not do paid work.  And this leads to greater concern about not only how to attract good people, but also how to keep them.

The majority of discussion in the various media seems to be about the ‘knowledge worker’. In general, knowledge workers can carry out their work from home – assuming they have access to a suitable place to work, the appropriate on-line tools, and reliable communications.  Working from home is an option for many, but by no means the majority.  According to a recent US occupational study, 63 percent of jobs require significant onsite presence, while the remaining 37 percent can be performed entirely at home, and that figure is an average with industries such as finance, information, and professional services being very conducive to home working, whereas industries such as manufacturing, construction, hospitality, or transportation require people to be on-site. 

But regardless of whether you are trying to attract and keep knowledge workers or people that have to work on-site, they are all people and driven by and motivated by the same considerations:

• Salary and benefits 
  
• Psychological and physical safety 
  
• The need for connection and a feeling of belonging and being valued 
  
• A sense of purpose and being able to add value 
  
• The ability to develop and grow through continuous learning  
  

These are all company cultural elements, and they do not change overnight. But in this age of a more discerning and demanding employee, and the nature of jobs changing faster than ever, they are critical.  

A simple way to think about this is that good people are attracted to and stay with good companies. In a previous blog Why would anyone ever want to work for you, I gave an outline of things to consider when trying to recruit, but that has got to come from a deeper cultural place that will help you keep your good people. You may also be interested in How to Evaluate your Values.

Evolving culture is not quick or easy, but it will be essential to your company’s success. If you are having trouble attracting and retaining employees, it’s a sure sign that you don't have the culture you need. If so, it's time to start leading it to where it needs to be.  

 There is an old Chinese proverb that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-best time is now.   If you want some ideas about how to evaluate your culture or how to go about shifting it, then give me a call.