Affairs of the heart? The employee-organisation relationship

It may come as a surprise that despite strong emphasis placed on providing satisfactory remuneration, training opportunities and working conditions, people are still unhappy at work.

Often, employees who are unhappy at their workplace remain in a job solely because they enjoy and derive fulfilment from the nature of their work, not because they have a positive relationship with their manager.

 It is often the job of managers to create pain by pushing employees outside of their comfort zone. If left alone or managed poorly, however, this pain can become toxic and can create emotional distance between employees and their organisations. The flow-on effect may include a lack of employee loyalty, decreased productivity, low morale and increased staff turnover.

A necessary yet sometimes overlooked component of building a sustainable organisation, is the ability for managers to create a sense of community and individual validation for their employees. Employees who trust their managers are more likely to feel happy at work than those who feel disconnected and mistrustful of management.

The key to this is a consistent effort by management to being sensitive to their employees’ emotional needs and personal goals on a daily basis while still driving operational productivity and efficiency. It is the most important yet most forgotten branding exercise a business can conduct.

Why is it that businesses expend a great deal of energy creating customer loyalty campaigns but very often fail to apply the same approach to the most valuable asset – people?

 

DC Strategy is the region’s leading specialist consulting and legal firm. Our specialist teams in Strategy, Franchising, International and Legal have developed the networks and brands of many of the region’s most successful businesses. Contact DC Strategy at growth@dcstrategy.com