KEY POINTS:
You'd have to be on planet Zog if you've not noticed that we have a skilled employee shortage in New Zealand.
In such a climate, retaining employees and motivating them to work, is vital.
Companies that get it right often have passionate employees who want to go to work.
Yet all too few companies really understand what makes an employee want to get out of bed in the morning.
It's certainly not pay, says Leighton Abbot, senior consultant at JRA (formerly John Robertson & Associates), an employee climate/culture specialist.
Career Coach consulting director Melita Sharp agrees: "I meet a heck of a lot of people on really good incomes that are miserable."
The answer may be a lot simpler than some believe.
"A lot [of employees] would give up some of that salary to do something that would make them more highly motivated," says Sharp.
As far as key motivation drivers go, when it comes to what makes an employee want to go to work in the morning, says Abbot, pay is seventh on the list, well behind company culture.
Abbot's firm ranks employers in the Unlimited/JRA Best Places to Work in New Zealand annual survey. "Quite often people will say pay is a reason for leaving their jobs, but our research says pay isn't the flashing red light that makes employees leave. Quite often it's because the organisation isn't trustworthy or they can't believe the leadership. Those are values-related reasons."
Abbot says 26,000 employees from 232 workplaces completed the Best Places to Work survey last year answering 60 questions each.
Subsequent research on the results found four common themes among companies that had satisfied employees:
1.The company has a real sense of community
2. It has a strong vision for the future and sticks to its values
3. Staff are helped in realising their potential
4. The company has high standards of performance
Having a real sense of community, says Abbot, is about ensuring employees enjoy what they do and feel a sense of belonging.
Organisations that scored highly in the survey, such as Fletcher Easysteel, RJ's Licorice, and the Securities Commission made their employees really feel that they cared for them.
A company's vision enables employees to really understand their role on a daily basis, says Abbot.
"If you have people working against that keeping information to themselves they will disrupt the flow of [business]. It is a bit of a cancer in the organisation."
Companies that employees want to go to work for will nip this sort of behaviour in the bud and if they can't work to change the behaviour, remove the employee.
Helping employees achieve their potential is a key factor in ensuring people want to go to work, but it's not just about giving them training and development, says Abbot.
"Organisations that look to see what this person will be doing in two years time and how they can be helped are the ones that succeed. Regardless of what the employee is doing now, they will understand what they are doing contributes to the success of the organisation and they know how it is going to evolve over time."
Organisations with high standards of performance, especially when that performance recognised and rewarded, rated highly in the survey. An example of this is footwear retailer Overland, which was ranked highly by its staff in the survey, where staff performance is monitored on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, says Abbot.
Staff are recognised and rewarded for performance and managers given the tools to remedy problems with employees.
"The company will also cut its losses quickly."
Employees surveyed for the Robert Half Finance & Accounting salary guide 2007 say the factors other than pay and benefits that would most influence their decision were (in order of importance): work/life balance, organisation culture, flexible hours, fast-tracked career progression, ability to work from home, employer brand, extra holiday and then sabbatical.
Staff that do want to go to work are willing to put in what's called "discretionary" effort - going the extra mile to ensure their work is completed and customers satisfied rather than leaving on the dot of 5pm, says Abbot.
"If an organisation is able to improve the climate it directly translates into other very important financial measures."
For a company that many people love to hate, Microsoft has employees who really look forward to getting out of bed and going to work.
Microsoft Australia and New Zealand won a Hewitt Best Employers award, based on the opinions of its own staff, not subjecting judging. The Hewitt survey to rank companies found that 94 per cent of Microsoft employees downunder say they are motivated to do whatever work is required to help the organisation succeed and 91 per cent supported the organisation's goals completely.
Microsoft NZ's HR Manager, James Rutherford, says the company's recruitment process singles out employees who are passionate about technology.
"We look for people in the recruitment process who are strongly achievement-oriented and we have the challenge of maintaining that motivation," says Rutherford.
Staff typically enjoy working with their teams, which in turn helps motivate them to get out of bed in the mornings.
Having quality managers that care about staff helps immensely and is one of the technology company's "five pillars" of its people strategy.
The other four are: career development, reward opportunities, performance management, and having good quality facilities.
Managers are encouraged to take a strong personal interest in their staff and their development.
"Being valued is absolutely pivotal."
Rutherford emphasises that the connection between individuals and their managers is vital for keeping staff motivated.
Unfortunately for employees in many cases, their sphere of influence doesn't always allow them to change the culture of the company for the better, says Abbot.
"If there is something about your role that frustrates you, but doing it a different way would improve your roll in the organisation, the best thing to do is bring it up with your manager and see what sort of response you get."
If that response is negative, then you may need to go above your manager's head. If all else fails, then you might be in the wrong organisation.
Abbot says finding an organisation that you really want to go to work for involves more than simply turning up at the job interview.
It's necessary to ask lots of questions about the company's culture and how it translates to the day-to-day level. Many companies enter awards such as the Best Places to Work award because they want to understand more about their organisation and what their employees think than to win prizes.
Having positive employees
What makes an employee want to go to work?
* Believing in the product or service offered by a company.
* Having a feeling that what they are doing is worthwhile and makes a difference.
* An alignment between a company's and an employee's values.
* Being encouraged to have good ideas and being listened to.
* Working for an innovative organisation.
* Having your work recognised by managers.
* Flexibility in working hours and other conditions
* Being given personal and professional development opportunities
Source: Melita Sharp, director, Career Coach Consulting.
Recommended reading: Loyalty Advantage: Essential Steps to Energize Your Company, Your Customers, Your Brand, by Dianne Michonski Durkin
