Rethinking Your Work

Prior to the recession, employee retention was a top concern of employers.  Many organizations experienced a reprieve during the recession, simply because most employees weren’t looking for a new job. They were grateful to have work.  But now what?

Will retention become an issue again now that we are seeing signs that the recession is turning around? I suspect so. Recent research by Watson Wyatt found that the recession has had widespread and unprecedented impact on employers and employees.

Employers have seen a drop in employee engagement due to the actions employers have taken in response to the economic crisis. Watson Wyatt found that overall engagement has dropped by 9% over the last year. The shocking news was that for top-performing employees, engagement dropped by 25%. And this will most certainly impact whether employees will stay or go.

Not surprisingly, a recent study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity shows that most firms are once again thinking about ways to retain talent. What are their plans?

• 18% of high-performing companies have already increased compensation levels (as compared to 7% or low-performing companies)
• 18% of high-performing companies plan to implement pay increases (as compared to 24% of low-performing companies)

But is offering money the preferred strategy? Companies report that they have been taking other action to reduce further turnover.

• 81% of all companies are increasing internal communication
• 77% have increased their focus on talent management
• 59% are focusing on succession planning

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.

Help employees rethink about their work by:

1. Getting to the heart of what matters about their work. Be clear about the deeper purpose of their work, what they are here for and the real point of their work.
2. Seeing their 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.
3. Appreciating their 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 retention.

What is your organization or company doing to retain talent? Is it working?

Val Kinjerski, PhD, is a leading authority in the field of employee engagement and on the topic of “spirit at work.” A consultant, agent of change and inspirational speaker, she helps companies and organizations increase employee retention and boost productivity by reigniting employees’ love for their work. Check out her Spirit at Work Program and Inspired Leadership training at www.kaizensolutions.org. Val is the author of Rethinking Your Work and Rethinking Your Work Guidebook. Available now at www.rethinkingyourwork.com.

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 Canada, one-fifth of teachers leave in the first five years; this number increases to one-half in the US.  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

On the flip-side, 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

Relationships matter. And no relationship is more important in the workplace than the one we have with our immediate supervisor. In an online survey conducted in 2007, Leadership IQ found that 32% of an employee’s decision to remain with the organization is based on the trust that employee has with his or her immediate supervisor.  Respect, fair and equitable treatment and connecting on a personal and work level are important contributors to trust.

How might you improve relationships with your supervisors and the people who report to you?

Val Kinjerski, PhD, is a leading authority in the field of employee engagement and on the topic of “spirit at work.” An inspirational speaker, consultant and writer, she helps companies and organizations increase employee retention and boost productivity by reigniting employees’ love for their work. She is the author of Rethinking Your Work and Rethinking Your Work Guidebook. Available now.

October 5^th is World Teachers’ Day. The UN is using this day to put the spotlight on the global teacher shortage and the challenges of being a teacher. But is there a shortage? Or is it more of an issue of retention? If we could retain those teachers who enter the profession, would we still have a shortage?

The turnover rate among teachers is generally higher than for other occupations. An alarming number of teachers leave the profession during the first few years of teaching. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that nearly a third of American teachers leave in their first three years and half by the fifth year.  While this figure is lower in Canada (Alberta statistics show that 20 per cent of teachers leave the job within the first five years), it is still alarming.

Why are so many teachers escaping the profession? How can someone enter the profession enthused and excited and leave a few years later disenchanted or burned out? What needs to be done to maintain their enthusiasm?

My husband and I attended an orientation for parents when our son entered high school. I was very pleased with the principal’s take on things. He said that if he had his druthers, he would do away with marks. Although marks do count, especially in grade 12, this principal holds his teachers accountable for six things. The first three – belonging, competence, and confidence –show up consistently in the research as what really matters to student learning. When students feel like they belong and that someone cares, when they feel competent to do the work they are asked to do, and when they feel confident that they will be successful, the marks automatically take care of themselves. If they don’t have these things, there is little hope in improving marks.

A teacher spoke about the importance of the fourth principle which is “someone sees me.” He said “I care about these young people. The most important thing for me is to make a connection with the students, to get to know them and particularly to get to know them outside of school.” The last two principles were “involvement of the students” and the “creation of a positive team”. These six values, the principal says, spell success and living them is an expectation for every teacher who works in this school.

As I was thinking about the overlap between these six values and the creation of spirit at work and wondering what would happen if teachers had an opportunity to experience these, a woman stood up and quietly asked if she could say something. She looked to be in her early 40s and said,

“You probably don’t recognize me since it was a long time ago since you taught me grade 10. I was living with my family in Germany and attended the armed forces school. You were my teacher. I just wanted to say hi and what you are talking about – those four points – belonging, confidence, competence and someone sees me – those things that you say are so important to student success . . .  well, I experienced them with you as a teacher. And I want to tell you, THAT changed my life. I feel good about myself as a person and I am way more confident now. I just wanted to say thanks. I was very anxious about choosing a high school for my daughter, but when I found out that you were the principal here, I knew the decision was made. I want my daughter to experience high school like I did. To the rest of the parents she said, ‘You are all so lucky to have your kids attend a school run by a principal that demonstrates these values.’”

Wow! The principal was stunned. Full of emotion, he went over and gave this woman a hug. He could not have paid for better advertising for his school.

As I sat there, I quickly realized that this principal and these teachers had spirit at work. They loved what they were doing and they were making a difference in the lives of their students. Our kids and their experience of school mattered to them. I had a deep sigh of relief and knew that our son was going to be in good hands.

What I also learned is that not only did the principal experience spirit at work; as the leader of that school, he created the conditions for his staff to experience spirit at work, and in doing so, opened the doors for his students to have a positive high school experience.  And did I mention that retention is not an issue in this school?

We now have the opportunity to rethink work and rethink how we can engage teachers so that they will want to stay in the profession.

Val Kinjerski, PhD, is a leading authority in the field of employee engagement and on the topic of “spirit at work.” An inspirational speaker, consultant and writer, she helps companies and organizations increase employee retention and boost productivity by reigniting employees’ love for their work. She is the author of Rethinking Your Work and Rethinking Your Work Guidebook.

Is your company or organization reacting to the current economic situation or is it responding? Is it playing defence or offence? There is a difference. When we take into account the situation we are in, along with our vision and goals, we are able to step back and choose to act. Act, rather than just react to the latest challenge facing us.

Aberdeen’s recent study: “Mid-Year Insights 2009” point to the development of existing talent as a top priority for the coming year. Organizations need to ensure that the workforce has the skills and ability to face the challenges and uncertainty of the future. These development opportunities can benefit both employees and employers.

Opportunities to improve skills and capabilities and challenging work assignments that broaden one’s skills have been shown to drive engagement. Not only do engaged employees plan to stay with their current employer, a correlation between high levels of engagement and strong business performance have been demonstrated.

It is time for companies to rethink how they are developing existing talent. Here are some questions to get you started:

• What is the company’s deeper purpose?
• What is the vision for the future?
• What are the desired outcomes?
• What needs to change in order to achieve these outcomes?
• What are the goals?
• What is no longer needed and can be let go?
• What skills and abilities need to be developed to achieve the vision, goals, and outcomes?
• What training or development is required and how does that fit with the new direction?
• How can employees become more engaged?

Development of existing talent is a key factor in employee wellness, retention and productivity. But it cannot be done in isolation. Organizations who help employees to become more engaged and develop talent that is in alignment with the organization’s deeper purpose, vision and strategic plan will realize remarkable results.

Val Kinjerski, PhD, is a leading authority in the field of employee engagement and on the topic of “spirit at work.” An inspirational speaker, consultant and writer, she helps companies and organizations increase employee retention and boost productivity by reigniting employees’ love for their work. She is the author of Rethinking Your Work and Rethinking Your Work Guidebook.

In our last blog, we talked about helping employees see their work as a noble calling. And how that would help them to feel better about their work and, at the same time, reduce absenteeism. 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.”

Shelia’s story demonstrates this well.

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.

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.

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.

Working for the public sector used to be considered a noble calling. Today, Statistics Canada reveals that employees in the federal public service have the highest rate of absenteeism in the country. They are followed by health-care and social service providers, provincial public servants and municipal employees. Absenteeism is lowest in the private sector.

Absenteeism rates have been rising in all sectors since the late 1990s. The average days lost to absenteeism due to sick leave, family demands, and other personal reasons has gone from 7.4 days per worker in 1997 to 10.2 days in 2007. For public service employees, the rated jumped to 16.2 days per worker per year on average.  These days are on top of vacation time, maternity leave and other scheduled time off.

Why the difference? Statistics Canada points to an aging workforce, increased women in the workforce, higher stress levels, and more generous sick and family-related leave policies in the public services.

Others point to low morale as the cause. In a recent poll by Angus Reid, one-third of Canadians think it is more honourable to work in the private sector as compared to 15 percent who believe the working for the government is more honourable. Given a choice, 43% of those surveyed said they would choose careers in the private sector, whereas only 33% would choose the public sector.

Those interested in the private sector are drawn by the creativity, salaries and mobility. Those attracted to the public sector say it is because of the generous benefits and job security. Only one-quarter say they were drawn by a “vocation of service.” I believe that this is the root of the absenteeism concern.

While benefits and job security are important, particularly as we weather the recession, they do not give us that deeper meaning and fulfillment so many of us are seeking. They do not give us the feeling that our work is honourable. We need to know that our work matters, that we are making a difference through our work – to have something we call spirit at work. Others call it work engagement, happiness at work or flow, but it all refers to feeling good about our work and the contribution we are making.

Spirit at work can be developed. I took a team of workers through the Spirit-at-Work Program and it dramatically reduced the rate of absenteeism and turnover. Not only did we see an improvement in retention, our research pointed to an increase in job satisfaction and commitment. Morale improved and the group began working together as a team. Why? Employees began to see their work as a noble calling. They appreciated themselves and the work they did. They began to think about their work differently.

I believe that the answer to high absenteeism rates lies in helping public servants see their work as a noble calling and to feel good about their work. How can they do that? By rethinking work. Here are four ways to begin rethinking your work:

1. Get to the heart of what matters about your work.
2. Be on purpose at work.
3. See your work as an act of service.
4. Cultivate a spiritual value-based life.

Absenteeism has a huge effect on morale, productivity and profitability. It can and should be halted. We will talk in more detail about these four ways in our subsequent blogs.