A Working Assumption
“Pleasure on the job puts perfection in the work”
Aristotle
Why do we work? This is a question that has persistently vexed the minds of psychologists. The fundamental need to earn money in order to sustain ourselves and our loved ones is the foundation of the Maslovian pyramid, therefore it perforce fills most of our waking hours. It is a simple transitional, need-driven, transactional process.
Robert Zimmerman, a modern-day philosopher of sorts, had an alternative take on this apparent necessity.
“What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”
So, if on balance, we get paid and enjoy the work that we do, we should be satisfied and count ourselves lucky.
Why should we count ourselves as lucky? Take a look at the output of the annual international Gallup research. The research has been running for twenty years and evaluates employee satisfaction at work. Their most recent findings identified that only 13% of workers feel engaged by their work.
13% is a staggeringly low figure. Are the overwhelming majority of us actively disengaged in our work, or spending our waking hours doing something we don’t want to be doing in places we’d rather not be? Even by the blunt standards of the majority of engagement surveys, this appears to be a pretty striking conclusion and a long way from Bob Dylan’s mantra for a successful life.
But are there ways that the disgruntled 87% - living proof of Douglas MacGregor’s Theory X species, inherently lazy and desirous of avoiding work - can be re-engaged? Think what riches could be realised in terms of productivity and innovation, if only this disenchanted body of workers could drink the engagement Kool Aid and suddenly find their work worthwhile. Can companies and employees possibly aspire to Benjamin Franklin’s idea that “motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes”?
Maybe that’s a stretch. However, we do know from our own consulting experience in this area that employees who feel like they are a part of the business tend to have a sense of accomplishment and responsibility and derive a valuable satisfaction from doing something meaningful. In simple but important terms, it helps to define them as individuals, provides them with purpose and gives them a reason to get on the 7:15am train every morning.
Some of the earliest research into the social and psychological aspects of working established that ‘work’ is central to defining human existence. As a result, the most effective reward mechanisms are primarily intangible rather than simply being about the regular wage packet.
The more fulfilling the work is and the more participative the management style, the happier and more productive people will be. In simple terms, employees - your most valuable asset - will support what they have a part in building. Create an environment where social interaction and fluid expression becomes a natural part of this process and you will have the basis for an engaged and productive work force, who will naturally stretch themselves and deliver incremental innovation.
It is in this type of work ecosystem that the traditional engagement survey, which so often is an awkward ancillary to actual business processes, rapidly becomes redundant.
Successful organisations already inherently understand the value they should place on their most important and productive asset - their human capital - and ensure that it is the beating heart of their business. Success measurement naturally starts to look wholly at the long-term health and strength of the community, rather than asking your people annually if they still want to work for you and obsessing about small shifts in numbers in the engagement survey.
As illustrated by the Gallup results, it’s unlikely that you’re going to be pleased with the results of traditional engagement surveys. Perhaps it’s time to deploy your energies more effectively on exploring a different relationship with your people.