Giving Employees What They Want Can Provide Employers with What They Want

All employees want is a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t

As a way of describing what motivates employees to perform at their highest levels, we have used the letters in respect as an acronym for conveying the seven fundamental desires of employees:

• Recognition. They want to be recognized and appreciated as valued team members. Managers should make the time for recognition and integrate it into the normal routine. They shouldn’t ignore employee performance until the annual review—and they should never focus solely on criticism.
• Exciting work. Employees are significantly more likely to feel excited about their work if they are learning something new, are involved in a pioneering project, or are empowered to operate with autonomy.
• Security of employment. Managers should be persuaded to consider the morale, welfare, and well-being of their teams. If they can empower employees and give them a say in how they work, it will create trust and provide a greater sense that employees are expanding their skill sets and controlling their own destiny.
• Pay. Employees want to be compensated fairly for the work they do and the contribution they make. The trick is to identify what employees feel is fair pay. Having transparency about the salary decisions helps employees to set realistic expectations and creates an environment of fairness.
• Education and career growth. Employees want to be given opportunities to develop their skills and to advance their career. Managers should be encouraged to give people the autonomy, authority, and encouragement to use their skills and to do their jobs in their own way.
• Conditions. The social working conditions are even more important than the physical conditions. Managers should also be encouraged to listen and respond to employee complaints and to help individuals achieve their own work–life balance.
• Truth. Employees want to be told the truth, they want to work for honest and transparent managers who act with integrity and who communicate openly and directly. Employee perceptions of dishonesty and lack of transparency breed skepticism and distrust.

Why should organizations provide employees with what they want?

The tangible business benefits that can arise from giving employees what they want can perhaps best be expressed through the framework of the balanced scorecard. The balanced scorecard is a popular and proven methodology that leadership teams use to help translate strategy into action.

• Employee Engagement Organizations with a more engaged workforce consistently outperform their competitors.
• Operational Performance Employees are the eyes and ears of an organization, and their perceptions provide valuable insight into how well things are working. Employees whose organizations fulfill their most important wants also report that their organization is well positioned for success.
• Customer Satisfaction Companies use the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) evaluations to improve and maximize their customer relationships, and this, in turn, drives customer loyalty and profitability. Loyal customers not only are repeat customers, but also tend to buy more products and services, thus further increasing the organization’s revenue and market share.

Talent and the shift from bureaucratic to dynamic

The principles of RESPECT can help an organization to shift its culture and practices from the bureaucratic to the dynamic.

• Bureaucratic organizations are well suited to a stable business environment. With centralized decision-making and standardized procedures, they can scale quickly, reduce costs, generate profits, and satisfy mass needs.
• Dynamic organizations offer a more flexible workplace. Employees typically work in crossfunctional teams and are empowered to innovate, solve problems, and work where they are most efficient. this way of working makes employees more committed to their jobs because they are typically given more challenging and complex assignments.

Do the right thing

RESPECT means having employees who want to be recognized, who want to perform at their peak and accomplish their work with a sense of security and confidence in their economic future. Yes, they also want to be fairly compensated. In addition, they want the opportunity to grow and develop their skills, and they want positive working conditions.

Providing RESPECT is not only good for business; it is also the right thing to do.