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Lately, I’ve been hearing that
‘doing more with less’ is the “new normal.” That topic of
conversation came up again recently at a business lunch. One well-respected
colleague said, “Well if the new normal means another year of salary
cuts, longer hours, loss of benefits, reduced flexibility and a harsh,
disrespectful boss, I’m not signing up for another round. I’ll go
find something else to do.”
If his cynical view of the world were an
anomaly, I’d write it off as a sign of the times. The problem is,
I’m hearing versions of his comments everywhere I go these days.
People are willing to sacrifice but there is a limit to how long they
can make that stretch.
Some recent surveys point to a larger
trend. For example, Watson Wyatt found employee engagement to be down
9%. But among high performing professionals, that disengagement
dropped to 25%. It doesn’t bode well for companies hoping to hold on
to their top talent when the veil lifts.
According to surveys released a few weeks
ago, by Monster and Human Capital Institute, cynicism is on the rise:
- 57% of
workers believe employers are exploiting the recession to drive
longer hours and lower pay from their workforce.
- 58%
believe employers are less concerned about employee retention, and
50% are more concerned about top performers leaving than before the
recession.
- 43% of
workers believe employers are now less tolerant of dissent and
challenges to authority.
- Only 26%
excuse their employers for requiring layoffs and longer hours
because they believe their employer’s hands were forced by the
recession.
- 48% of
workers say their productivity has been affected by a fear of being
laid off.
The study concludes by recommending four
strategies: communication, employee development, flexibility, and
delegation/empowerment. In short, what they are recommending is to
start paying closer attention to what the employee needs; not just
squeezing harder to get more of what the company needs.
I spoke with Nancy Woltzen, Vice
President, Versant Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in
internal communications, marketing and branding (versantsolutions.com).
“A lot of employers have lost track of their own employees, because
they have been off fighting dragons in this economy. In some cases,
employers imply ‘You’re lucky you have a job’ but this creates
bitterness and cynicism, which reduces innovation and productivity.
One big way to squelch cynicism is with
transparent data and truth. Employees need to be kept up to date on
what is going on. They need to know how they are contributing to the
goals, and how much progress is being made toward the goals. Companies
need to stay close to their employees and find out what is important
to them,” Woltzen says.
She explains the little things can have a
huge impact, “One company took the free coffee away, and there was a
huge outcry. It felt like the last straw in an environment where
everyone was asked to come in early and stay late.” She noted the
coffee was brought back
Similar situations such as mandating new
start and stop times (problems with day care), mandating where and
when ( telecommuters) employees were to work, imposing new
administrative measures to track productivity, all add to the feelings
of low trust and disenfranchisement.
When the light begins to brighten the
recessionary landscape, what will be illuminated? Will your best
employees run as fast as they can to other employers? Will you be left
with a bedraggled crew, who are just happy to have a job? Will you be
in business at all? Or, will you emerge with a strong team, who has
been an actively informed and engaged partner with you, to help you
figure out how to beat the recession—instead of each other.
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