Have you ever thought about what makes you enjoy your work or what makes you dread the very idea? From the past eight years of my life spent directing staff development programmes the answer is very complex and varies considerably from one individual to another.
How do we explain that two people doing exactly the same work in similar conditions experience their employment in various ways often in opposition to each other?
The differences range from feelings of enjoyment to others of resentment or sheer indifference. I will therefore share some research and experience-based insight about what people need from work, focusing specifically on psychological needs.
Work is about money...
People seek to fulfil different needs through work and do it for a variety of personal reasons. However almost everyone works to achieve a standard of living that is acceptable to them and meets their expectations.
Money provides housing, pays bills, buys food and clothing, pays for healthcare and gives us the power to function at a level acceptable to our personal standards in relation to our socio-economic environment.
To underestimate the importance of money and other material benefits is a serious misconception. Good workers may leave for greener pastures even if they are happy and satisfied with their job. Fair benefits and salaries are the key to successful companies that recruit and retain good committed workers.
In fact, recent research from Watson Wyatt Worldwide in The Human Capital Edge recommends that to attract the best employees, employers need to pay more than the average-paying counterparts in the same market.
Once the financial aspect is in place one can then start talking about other psychological factors that enable people to see their work in a positive light, to the extent that they see it as a contributing factor to their personal development.
...but money is not enough
Years of research on employee motivation indicates that people expect more than money from employment for their own satisfaction and motivation. Among other things employees are deeply affected by the quality of relationships at the workplace, especially with their supervisors, managers, or people they highly esteem.
They need to feel appreciated, valued, cared for and respected. Once their material and financial requirements are met, their next needs are emotional needs. In a research study that identified some of the best companies that one could work for in the UK, the overriding factor distinguishing the top companies was the quality of life these offered at the workplace.
The most important factors that determined this were: respect for the individual, a friendly environment, a relationship of trust and openness between management and staff, and opportunities for learning and development.
Many times the greener pastures employees move to do not consist of better benefits or higher financial gains. People go to organisations that provide them with a human working environment that values its people and treats them with dignity and respect.
The land of milk and honey or the company next door?
Contrary to what some or many believe, it is neither impossible nor excessively expensive to create work cultures based on respect for the value and integrity of individuals.
Once those people leading organisations embrace these values and become committed to spreading and cascading them throughout the company, the rest can follow with relative ease.
Today we talk about value-based organisations. These are companies where leaders have realised that companies, just like individuals, need a "soul" to survive. The soul I refer to in this case is a set of deeply held values that are manifested in every decision, policy, structure and operation.
We also talk about emotional and spiritual intelligence in organisations. Essentially, these new intelligences (that are really not so new) focus on the value of the human aspect of business. Leaders today are realising more and more that to get the best they also need to give their best.
They are realising that people need to be treated like adult human beings. They need to find some form of meaning in their work, they need recognition for a job well done, they need to experience a sense of belonging to the organisation; above all they need to feel valued and respected.
Sense of control over one's work
Employees need to feel a sense of autonomy and control. This includes important components like the ability to impact decisions that influence their work; setting clear, measurable and achievable goals; having clear responsibility for defined tasks; job enrichment; and receiving recognition for achievement.
This can be achieved even in times of change and company restructuring. People in director, CEO, or senior management levels need to implement a culture of consultation in their companies, where they give and receive constant information about where the company is going in terms of direction, policies and structures.
Although it is not always possible to share all the information, the more communication and transparency there is the more they can reduce the spread of rumour, hearsay, and uncertainty. These are all factors that create anxiety, stress, and possible anger and resentment in the workplace. Companies need to have clear lines of communication and feedback across all levels.
Furthermore, employees need to believe that their feedback matters and that it is taken seriously. Otherwise they will see it as a fruitless exercise. When feedback from employees is acted upon, it needs to be communicated back to the employees with the appropriate appreciation and recognition.
Leaders need to encourage this practice even when the feedback received is not given in the most constructive manner or the content is less than pleasing. I have often heard of managers who tell their people "do not come to me with problems or complaints if you don't have solutions or suggestions".
This approach does not encourage people to give feedback. It also tends to shift responsibility on people who are powerless. In such a situation, a better response would be "come with your feedback and problems and together we can generate and discuss possible solutions and alternatives".
As for doing the work itself, employees need to feel that they are trusted to do their job without excessive monitoring unless their behaviour requires a different approach. One of the biggest mistakes companies do is to punish everyone for the mistakes of a few.
Naturally, people expect recognition for their good work with a remuneration tied to performance. They expect people who do not perform to be addressed and dealt with fairly. Failure to deal with or discipline non-performers is one of the most demotivating actions an organisation can take.
Employees also need regular informal and formal feedback about how they are performing. Equally important is the opportunity for them to give feedback upwards regarding how they experience their direct superiors and what changes or improvements they suggest. In this way they can feel that they have a say in the way they are managed and treated.
Finally, one of the most commonly cited factors that contributes to job satisfaction and fulfilment is appreciation and recognition for work done. This is especially effective when it is made public and comes from people in senior positions.
Sense of belonging
A basic need for human beings is to experience a fair degree of belonging to the groups they are part of. This is referred to as the need for affiliation. When used constructively, a healthy sense of belonging in employees encourages loyalty, commitment, initiative and enthusiasm towards work.
More importantly, it promotes a sense of ownership in people and enables them to take responsibility for their actions and see their role as crucial, or at least, as contributing significantly to the ultimate success of the organisation they form part of.
A critical factor in creating a sense of belonging in employees is making sure they get timely information and communication. It is also important that employees understand management's formulae for decision-making rather than having decisions imposed on them out of nowhere that are difficult to comprehend.
A sense of belonging is also encouraged through frequent participation that helps employees develop a strong sense of involvement. This includes providing visual documentation and posting of work progress and company accomplishments.
On a more emotional level, employees need to feel that they are cared for by the organisation. This can take practical forms such as the provision of health insurances, employee assistance programmes, solidarity funds, counselling services, flexible working hours, harassment and discrimination policies and procedures, etc. and informal practices that promote a general sense of care for the well-being of employees such as encouraging a healthy work/life balance and promoting care and respect in people's daily interactions.
Opportunity for growth and development
If you think training and education is expensive try ignorance and stagnation instead. Learning does not stop with the end of school; rather it is a lifelong process. An important aspect of learning is informal learning, the learning that takes place as a result of daily life experiences.
For example, if an employee's opinion is never taken seriously or valued, he or she might learn that feedback is not needed after all. If an employee is treated unfairly or abused he or she might learn subversive methods of "getting even". In other words, since people learn anyway, it is important that an organisation is concerned about what it is teaching them.
Organisations benefit from a highly developed staff complement that is technically, interpersonally and intrapersonally skilled. This creates resourceful employees who are flexible both at work and interactions with people.
This has short and long-term benefits on both the internal and external customer chain ultimately producing higher standards of service or productivity.
Motivational research gives opportunity for growth among the frontrunners in terms of motivating factors. This is especially the case when these opportunities are linked to achievement and advancement.
People prefer to do work they enjoy doing; short of that they prefer to do work that is interesting; and short of that, work that is varied. Training and development programmes give employees a wider repertoire of skills that can help them make their work more interesting and challenging.
It also gives them a stronger sense of security in terms of future employability. Because recognition is such an important aspect of employee motivation, employees who complete training should be given public recognition for their participation in training.
This can take various forms, the most common being the awarding of certificates, and publishing comments, names and photos in company magazines.
Leadership
If I were to pinpoint the single most common grievance I hear from people about their workplace, it is the lack of adequately skilled leaders and managers. The skills gap referred to most frequently is often human rather than technical in nature.
People need to feel they can trust their leaders to treat them fairly, honestly, and professionally. They need to be listened to, taken seriously, appreciated and regarded with dignity and respect.
People want clear expectations that provide a picture of the outcomes desired with mutual goal setting and constant feedback and an appropriate structure within which to work. They also need adequate recognition for their work.
It is not an easy task to create working environments that meet employees' psychological needs. Perhaps it is more of a challenge in times of economic uncertainty and stiff competition.
People are unique individuals who vary greatly among each other in terms of what satisfies them. At the same time, there is enough research today to suggest reliable guidelines that greatly increase the chances of success.
People need to be recognised and treated with respect and dignity; trusted, valued and cared for and provided with opportunities for development and advancement. These factors are universal and organisations that are committed to them are investing wisely in their own success.
Mr Psaila, BA (Hons), M.Ed (Vancouver), is a freelance counselling psychologist and personal and professional development consultant. He is the director of WorkAssist - Staff Support and Development Services. He is also a member of the Maltese Psychological Association and the Foundation for Human Resources Development and is on the Malta Psychology Profession board.