What Do Workers Really Want Anyway?

By: Wally Bock
Submitted: 2007-01-17 15:36:47
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

If you think that giving workers what they want means giving them extra high wages, lots of free time, and no pressure, think again. Giving that to the people who work for you probably won't have an ounce of effect on productivity.

But there are things that workers want that you can deliver and that will make a difference. Here are some of them.

Workers want to be treated fairly. They want fair compensation, not necessarily the highest salaries around, but fair relative to other people they know who do similar work.

Workers also want to be treated fairly compared to how they perform. In a fair workplace, the consequences match the performance. Good performers do better. Poor performers get reprimanded and get better or leave.

Workers also want a fair shot at doing a good job. Make sure your people have the training and the resources to do what you want before you hold them accountable for results.

Workers want to know what's expected. This is only logical. You can't expect people to do what you want if they don't know what you want. So lay out your expectations and check rigorously for understanding.

Workers also want to know about company values and how they're supposed to act. Make sure everyone is singing from the same hymnbook. Tell the values story over and over.

Workers want to know how they're doing. So tell them. Check on performance frequently.

Then give usable feedback. Telling a worker that he or she should "do better" won't help much. Be specific about what needs to change and when in order for performance to be acceptable.

Workers want to enjoy the workplace. This doesn't mean parties all the time. It doesn't mean shiny happy people holding hands. Workers want to feel safe in the workplace, free of harassment and unfair discipline.

Workers also want to work with people who pull their own weight. That's why bad apples, slackers and nay-sayers spoil the barrel. Give your bad apples the opportunity to reform. Fire the ones that don't.

Workers want a rewarding job. For most adults that means they want reasonable challenges on the job. They want respect from their boss and their co-workers. And they want to work in a place where they can learn and grow.

Workers want to do something important. If you're the boss, part of your job is to help your subordinates understand how their contribution matters. Tell them how it matters to the team. Tell them how it matters to the company.

Workers want the maximum control possible over work life. Give qualified workers control over basic work decisions as much as possible. If you have doubts about whether they're qualified, try giving them control to see how it works.

Workers want to grow and improve. Help them do that. Part of your job as a boss should be to help everyone who works for you do better.

There's really magic about all of this. Part of it is simple human nature. Part is common sense. But if you can give your workers what they want, the rewards can be great for all of you.

Wally Bock is an author, speaker, consultant and coach who helps leaders improve the performance and morale of their teams. Wally is the author of Performance Talk: The One-on-One Part of Leadership (http://www.performancetalk.com/) and the Three Star Leadership Blog (http://blog.threestarleadership.com/). You'll also find tips and resources about all aspects of leadership at the Three Star Leadership site (http://www.threestarleadership.com/).

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Management category

  • Employee involvement - By: john david
    Employee involvement involves the creation of an environment wherein people are involved in the decision making process that have an impact on the decisions and the actions that have a bearing on the jobs.
  • Work from Home Based Business With 7 Secrets of Internet Millionaires - By: Gagan kainth
    The external and internal secrets of Internet millionaires are explored. Find out what the Internet millionaires know that has made them so successful.
  • The Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Community Association Management Company - By: James Small
    Throughout the industry, HOA Management Companies overload their community managers by giving them too many homeowners associations to manage
  • Things to think about before hiring an accountant - By: Michiel Van Kets
    Locating a good honest accountant is not as simple as you would think. The majority of us looks in a local directory and chooses the first one who answers the phone.
  • A Chartered Accountant Can Help You In Many Ways - By: Michiel Van Kets
    The function of a chartered accountant can be intricate to understand, the majority just associates them with tax returns.
  • Considerable Factors involved in Product Creation & Marketing - By: Kamal Kant Gupta
    The niche you have chosen should allow creation of more than one product or service. With the technological advancements in the hosting industry, from automated control panels and scripts that simplify creation of accounts, to complete turnkey solutions; there is no need to worry about spending time on the real products sold to the customer.
  • No One Wants To Hear They Have An Ugly Baby - By: Rene Jones
    It's time to admit you have an, "Ugly Baby!" Or, in distribution terminology, "Admit your warehouse is in shambles!" If your warehouse has returns that sit around for days without being processed, "Your warehouse is in shambles." If your warehouse has receiving that does not get received for days, then once it is received it sits again before it is put away, "Your warehouse is in shambles!" If your customer service personnel spend more time in the warehouse checking stock, because your inventory is so inaccurate, "Your warehouse is in shambles!"
  • Make your Sales Team the Best with Excellent Sales Training - By: John McLean
    An article that shows you how to get the best sales team with the best training courses
  • Highlighting The Benefits Of Project Management Training - By: Gurinder Singh
    Project management is one of the important processes of an organization for the simple reason that it answers a lot of your questions and adds order to the company. With this, project management training is important to ensure that you have the right skills and knowledge when it comes to doing project management.
  • Benefits of Management are Essential for Business - By: Avesh Dahiya
    During the implementation of project, the benefits manager has to check whether the benefits are being achieved within the specified time frame. Therefore helps the management in selecting the right projects.