This is one of the many challenges any organisation face today, tomorrow and day after.
Happiness goes beyond satisfaction. It needs minor details to be handled well.
As an employee, I have experienced it as a receiver and and now, as a consulting partner, I am helping many organisations. The journey of happy employee starts much before than he or she is hired. Happy employees are all about their experiences of your organisation. They are like customers those who decides how well your organisation is performing.
Happy Employees create great companies.Happy Employees propagate unconditional growth.
The million dollar question is — “ How do I make them happy?”
The answer is simple and complicated (as is always the case with simplicity). I break it into 7 broad steps through an employee life cycle.
1. It starts right from a carefully drafted job description and your selection process.
This one information depicts how well planned your organisation is. No ones like the ambiguity.
I have received calls from recruiters who could not explain the JD, immediately putting me off. Do you think that you would join such company? It requires a complete involvement of your teams — the manager who wants this candidate, the hiring team who will hunt this candidate, recruiters who will set up the screening interviews and so on…
Also, how well do you treat a candidate during selection process says a lot about organisational culture. During initial days of career, I appreared for many interviews and every organisation differs in this process.
Afterall, before a candidate pitches in, your organisation is selling itself for a suitable talent.
2. Create an outstanding Orientation and On-boarding experience for a new comer
Think carefully — Who is coming on board? A human. Right!
Most organizations makes this process mechanical. Instead making first few days exciting, organizations and related teams just tick the check-boxes.
I have had an amazing experience with one organization. On very first day of joining, everything was on my desk — Access cards, Mobile phone, Deskphone and all needed accessories. Not HR, but the guy from Finance Team who referred me was my buddy for processes. Business Domain Knowledge was 3 days learning on the job. Company presentation was done on 7th day.
Compare this with a boring powerpoint presentation and a guide booklet to read for next two days. I guess that most of us can relate to it.
3. Help them accept and propagate Ownership
Enterprises today need more than 9 to 5 employees — They need business partners.
The difference lies between wasting time and investing time. Does your employee engagement programs, communication and environment creates owners?
Your shared values are immediately open to new employees. Your values define how your employees treat your organisation. Transparent and progressive career path is a must for any employee. If they cannot see the future, they will never own it. It is same as you not investing in an opportunity if there is little growth.
4. Foster an environment of trust, team work and high integrity
I have seen in many places a love for micro-managing their employees. This has gone to an extent that some of them have a culture of managing Time Sheets. Time Sheet is a format in which you need to record your hourly activities of the day. Micro management cannot go beyond this, I guess.
When you do it, you are clearly communicating that you do not trust your employees. You cannot enforce your thoughts, you can only encourage an employee to own his/her game.
How do you do it? — Answer is very simple. You need to give them space where they can take decisions by themselves. Set some protocols where they are free to strategise and execute their plans. Nothing is more empowering than a sense of belongingness. By giving them this freedom, you are creating this connection.
5. Have an action plan on Trainings & Development — A plan which will be implemented.
No one can deny the importance of skill upgradation in this current world.
Unfortunately, all this is much talked, less executed. Or more dangerously, mechanically executed.
Your HR, business functions and training teams need to spend a serious time designing a level and hierarchy based training and development activities. You can also engage external agencies specialized in developing such programs.
In order to prepare future leaders, these programs ensure that Right Knowledge is shared at Right time with Right talent. You can create a Talent Identification Center in your organisation.
6. Engage them beyond their jobs
Your employees convey your identity and values 24X7. Why are you stuck between 9 to 5?
No, it does not mean that you need to invade their family time. Never.
For example, Have you ever tried to create a community of your employees for a social cause, proactively?
Brainstorm and try this.
7. Communicate, Communicate & Communicate
Your values, your vision & missions and your goals need to be communicated to your employees. You can create & share success stories around these points.
Create touch points that employees can relate to. One of my friends shared a ritual in his organisation. Every morning, they will put a Post-it slip on each desk sharing about Value of the day. Similarly in another organisation, employees nominate each other for team work through a notice board in cafeteria. The value here is team work.
All of the above steps can further be broken and developed into wonderful ideas. It is your responsibility to create a happy employee. No one else can do it for you.
Honest Business Solutions is your success partner in Change Management. We focus on strategy and action in three key areas — People, Sales and Leadership. Write to us for a free evaluation at info@honest.net.in or call us at +91–9971718487.
