“Loathing and seething employees “
What dawns a threat to industries today? a contagious virus travelling at the velocity of light sapping the bigwigs off their tireless efforts in reaching the pinnacle of success. The answer to this dreading question is the birds of their own nest- “ The Employees” . The reasons for this threat has been a question of debate through ages. Dissatisfaction amidst the masses have turned princely states to paupers, caused revolutions and brought down the curtains to flourishing businesses.
In the wake of this rising concern, organizations have sought refuge in employee engagement – breaking physical and emotional barriers blocking employee<->manager, employee< – >employee and department<-> department interactions. Despite several measures these concerns haven’t taken a back step. The carrot and stick philosophy is now an old school of thought. Adapting to contemporary measures is the need of the hour and these creative measures can only be acted upon when one dives deep into the crux of the problem. The crux is adversely affected by social, physical and psychological factors. Being sensitive to the fact that humans perceive their environment as threating and rewarding has helped corporates improve their employee satisfaction contributing to client, vendor and customer satisfaction thereby elevating the company’s rating on the business charts. Increasing the rewards and minimizing the threats requires an insight into the Modern factors humans interpret as threat.
The various factors include
- STATUS
- CERTAINITY
- AUTONOMY
- RELATEDNESS
- FAIRNESS
Status– An unwelcoming environment fosters fear amongst employees, this environment is built by colleagues, management and other stake holders and their style of communication. Leaders help employees fight this fear through their words and action by allowing them evaluate their behavior to perceive the environment more positively. A positive change has to be brought into the employee rather than a change in the leader. In times of despair and contemplation leaders need to create those overwhelming “aha” moments that bring about a revolution in the minds of its employees. To create these aha moments demands you’re a better listener than a speaker, an observer than a judger, a custodian of intrinsic drivers than extrinsic drivers
Certainty- Under the wraps or oblivion broadens the scope for uncertainty, restlessness and rumors. Knowing what’s next , knowing what’s expected instills confidence and open communication overcoming the barriers of working in a closed environment keeping one aloof from the rest. Especially in times of economic melt down, mergers, market corrections, performance gaps and internal growth uncertainty welcomes rage, pessimism, commotion and leads to employees taking the stairway to exit
Autonomy– Life is got its own bundle of choices, being given the freedom of choice rather than constant monitoring and micromanagement builds trust and makes one self- reliant. Autonomy requires perceiving an image of oneself that one looks up to. Independence, accountability and ownership instills confidence and the impetus to contribute for the better
Relatedness– Familiarity breeds content and humans are on the quest for similarities. Working in isolation is not always a luxury as humans are social creatures who crave for friendship and positive interactions and employees look forward to work in teams and work with likeminded people . The onus of establishing an environment where openness in communication is encouraged lies with the leaders and this connect can be established through better relationship building amongst employees for better productivity
Fairness– The belief that your needs are cared for and your contribution is recognized overshadows the fear of being treated unfair, which causes a concern of transparency being at stake. Forums to voice your opinion, learning opportunities, challenging tasks, email or vocal appreciation within the team are other epitomes of Fairness than monetary benefits
Being sensitive to these contributing factors especially in times of transformation and investing in people’s potential can help organization surpass the exodus of disengagement that’s piling over the years. Conditioning people to be thinkers than sowers will to a larger extend reduce the menace of dissatisfaction haunting industries worldwide because minimizing threats is no longer an individual but a mutual affair
Natasha Rithin Thomas
The Haunting 