Last week after working with two clients in very different arenas (education and accounting… union and non-union) I found myself thinking about the fact that people who love their jobs have several things in common. In both cases, the people from these two organizations are all in a support staff role yet they are polar opposites in terms of the nature of their clientele. When charged with the responsibility of putting on a conference, they rose to the challenge and were deeply committed to its success. There was no management mandate to get along, no directive to work hard and put in long hours (without being paid overtime). They love what they do because they feel that they are part of a family and made me feel like I was part of it immediately. They support their co-workers, understand the objective and have a genuine caring and respect for each other. When they go to work, they have fun and get the job done. These teams understand the strengths of their peers and their managers simply let them get on with it. They don’t punch the clock and no one is questioning their individualist work styles. At one of the conferences, one woman just celebrated her 45th year with her employer. Another celebrated 35 years and several were acknowledged for 30 years of service. I knew I was witnessing something that is becoming increasingly rare…longevity of employment with one company. In a nutshell, their high level of job satisfaction has endured because there is a high level of trust and appreciation of their expertise, wisdom and value. How can organizations create this kind of staying power? Here are ten ways:
- Respect the talents of each team member
- Allow people to express their individuality regarding how they approach their work
- Trust them, don’t “police” them
- Create an environment that attracts and excites people
- Focus on the intangibles
- Employ managers that know how to ask rather than tell
- Keep people in the loop…Don’t hide any bad news
- Celebrate successes and milestones in meaningful ways
- Listen to innovative ideas, no matter who suggests them
- Don’t nurture the “bad apples”…get rid of them quickly
