|
|
|
|
What’s Happened to Employee/Employer Commitment? By Terry Bragg Loyal and committed employees do better work than uncommitted employees. Companies with committed employees do better financially than companies with uncommitted workers. Yet, less than half the employees in today’s workforce feel committed to their employer. What’s responsible for this disparity? Employers blame their workers, and workers blame their employers. Employers see today’s workers as a disloyal group of free agents willing to jump the ship for the slightest increase in pay or other enticement. Employers long for the days when good employees hired on and stayed with the same company for some measurable time. According to employees, employers do not value loyalty and are willing to sacrifice workers to maintain the financial bottom line or to cover up for management blunders. Employees point to decades of downsizing, rightsizing, and reengineering as evidence that their employers treat them as expendable commodities when times get tough. Four types of employee commitment There are four types of employee commitment: want to, have to, ought to, and uncommitted . The best type of employee commitment is "want to" commitment. In the extreme, they are the truly dedicated and loyal employees—the employer’s dream employees. Employees who want to work for their employer outperform those that have to work for them. They are more willing to take on additional responsibility. They come to work with more positive attitudes and are more willing to put out extra effort when needed. Another type of employee commitment is "have to" commitment. People who have to work for their employer are trapped employees. They stay for many reasons. Some stay because they can’t find other jobs or because they are not employable elsewhere. Others stay because of some compelling reason other than they like the job—medical, health, or family issues, or they are close to retirement. Trapped employees would leave if they could, but they feel they can’t. Unfortunately, trapped employees make up about 30% of the workforce. In the worst cases, they have bad attitudes, poor work habits, and are a lot of trouble for their managers or supervisors. What this means for employers is that the employees who do stay are not necessarily loyal by choice, and sometimes not the best employees. Companies often see this when they downsize or merge. The better qualified and more employable employees leave first. The company is then left with many employees trapped in their jobs at the company. The third type of employee commitment is "ought to" commitment. These are the people who stay because they feel obligated to their employer. Perhaps their employer gave them a job when they badly needed one, or they have a value system that says staying with their employer is the right thing to do. The disconnected or uncommitted comprise a fourth group of workers. These are the people who are not committed to staying, who are actively looking for other employment. These are the workers who are halfway out the door. In today’s market, they compose about 25-30% of the workforce. They have little commitment and do not intend to stay. Four types of employer commitment Like employee commitment, employer commitment also comes in four types: want to, have to, ought to, and uncommitted. Employers who want to be committed to their employees do what’s necessary to create attractive work environments. They value their employees and treat them as valuable associates in the business. They want the best employees and they want their employees to stay, grow, and prosper as the business succeeds. Companies truly committed to their employees want to be known as the best places to work. Other employers are committed to their employees only because they have to show some signs of commitment to attract and keep workers. These employers satisfy the legal requirements for compensation and safety, and do what’s necessary to stay competitive. They pay lip service to valuing employees when the labor market is tight, but quickly resort to downsizing during economic downturns. Most employers fall into this category. They often feel trapped by legal obligations for treating workers, or by competition to keep workers. Some employers commit to their employees because they think they ought to. They feel obligated or they believe commitment is the right thing to do. They act based upon principle rather than economic necessity. A fourth category of employers are the uncommitted employers. These employers run sweatshop operations where employees are treated as pieces of meat necessary to get the job done. These employers tolerate extremely high turnover, and use dictatorial management to keep workers in line. What’s happened to employee/employer commitment? It’s still there in several types. Many employers and employees are committed because they want to, others because they have to, and some because they ought to be committed. Terry Bragg and Peacemakers Training offers a variety of tools for promoting, maintaining, and recognizing excellence in your workplace. We also offer tools for helping you achieve and maintain personal excellence. To learn more about these tools, click here: Tools for Workplace and Personal Excellence To find out more about Terry's book, 31 Days to High Self-Esteem, click here: 31 Days to High Self-Esteem To learn more about onsite seminars and workshops for improving interpersonal relationships, resolving conflict, and promoting and maintaining excellence in your workplace, click here: Seminars & Workshops ©2001 All rights reserved Terry Bragg•Peacemakers Training Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at: Peacemakers Training Subscribe to our Free |
|