As a former university professor and business owner, I taught (and believed in) the concept of the "Empowered Workforce." This concept first took root in the US in the 1980s and has been espoused by professors, consultants and workplace gurus as "the only way to go!" One of the foundational components of the "Empowered Workforce" is the Workforce Morale Survey. This survey is used to determine the "temperature of your workforce."
While in a prospective client's office last fall, the business owner flatly stated that "there will be little need for your products - workforce assessments - in the days to come." I asked why, to which he replied, "The economy is going to get worse and worse. Soon, we [as employers] won't have to care what the people are thinking or needing; they'll [employees] be grateful just to have a job. Period."
Some of what he said has come true. Our economies (many around the globe) have gotten worse since last summer. Jobs have been lost as a result. But are all employees "grateful just to have a job"?
A quick study of psychologist Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs provides that there are five basic needs (which extend into the workplace):
Survival — Workers at this level are concerned with physical and economic survival. Physical needs may dominate the behavior of a person who has no job or who is in economic difficulty.
Security — People motivated at this level feel the need for security and predictability in their lives. They want assurance that their jobs are not subject to loss or change. There are needs for signs of stability from leadership. Think how you would feel if you sensed that your job was in jeopardy, or imagine the concern you would feel if the equipment, supplies, or other resources required to perform your job were taken away.
Belonging — When belonging needs are the primary source of motivation, employees value work as an opportunity for establishing warm and satisfying human relationships. Jobs that allow them the opportunity to interact with people and to create friendships are likely to be valued, regardless of the nature of the work itself. Employee needs for belonging are normal.
Respect — This motivation level reflects a person's need for recognition. The respect of others for one's special traits or competencies is important. Work that provides the opportunity to display skills that one feels others respect will be valued and has motivational strength.
Fulfillment — When a person is motivated at this level, his/her primary concern is to fulfill personal values and experience growth. There is a desire to demonstrate life values on the job.
The prospect mentioned earlier made a few basic but erroneous assumptions:
The downturn in the economy and resulting potentiality of layoffs would cause the majority of the workforce to revert to Level 1 and 2 basic needs (demonstrated in their "gratitude for just having a job"), making the other needs of belonging, respect and fulfillment outdated in today's workplace. This is simply not true.
While some people have experienced layoffs, a portion of them have already found suitable employment elsewhere. A large number of today's employees assume (rightly or wrongly) that "someone" will step up to the plate to help them if they can't find a job, be it a relative, friend or the government. As a result, many (especially GenX'ers and GenY'ers) aren't as concerned about losing their jobs as we might think.
Even when faced with unemployment, most still consider Levels 3-5 equally as important as Levels 1-2 when seeking replacement employment. For what it's worth, we would do well to remember that this attitude is based largely on their life experiences. In their pasts, whenever a "need" or a "problem" occurred, someone always provided a solution, thus meeting their Level 1- 2 needs and consequently allowing them to concentrate on Levels 3, 4 and 5 as their primary concern.
"Companies won't be hiring," so the "more desirable" employees (the ones that employers want to have remain in their employment as long as possible - the highly productive, self-motivated, empowered portion of the workforce) won't have any opportunities to change jobs during this downturn in the economy. Like #1 above, this is simply not true either.
In a recent post, "Are Layoffs Really Worth It?" Karen O'Leonard of Berlin & Associates observed:
...companies that laid off 10% of their workforce sustained, on average, a turnover rate that was 5 percentage points higher than the average turnover rate of non-downsizing firms. In other words, an extra 5% of the workforce left of its own accord following the downsizing. And these are the people that the company wants to keep - many of them the best and brightest, since these employees have the most opportunities to find jobs elsewhere.1
As long as any employment exists, the "cream of the crop" will always have employment opportunities.2 Today, many companies are experiencing layoffs and are hiring simultaneously. The "best employees" are beginning to move around. Why? Because they can. The result may be that you are left with none of the "best" when the day is done.
Fear of unemployment is simply not enough to motivate employees to give their best efforts to sustain and improve an organization.
So, is the "Empowered Workforce" an outdated idea? NO! Now more than ever, possessing the knowledge, skills and courage to fully engage your workforce will make the difference in your company/organization's ability to weather the economic storm that rages. Failing to recognize, respect and respond to your employees' Level 3, 4 and 5 needs is foolish and shortsighted. The level at which you engage and empower your workforce will largely determine if you will fail, survive or thrive in the days to come.
© 2007-2010 Samenmais Corporation™
