{"id":49,"date":"2015-07-31T19:01:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-31T19:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/Blog\/index.php\/2015\/07\/31\/how-to-become-an-exceptional-employer\/"},"modified":"2023-01-08T21:26:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T20:26:18","slug":"how-to-become-an-exceptional-employer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2015\/07\/31\/how-to-become-an-exceptional-employer\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Become An Exceptional Employer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It takes a little effort to be a decent human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we were children, we were taught principles which later became values and shaped our characters: Respect everyone; be considerate; be charitable, do onto others as you would have them do onto you, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As adults, due to societal pressures and the prioritisation of \u2018self\u2019, we often struggle to adhere to the admirable tenet of being our brother\u2019s keeper. On a subconscious level however, we all want to\u00a0matter<\/em>. We want to be of value to someone or something and we desire to be treated with dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no wonder that such a quest for worth extends to our careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fair or not, we look to our employers to be \u2018decent\u2019 entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are realistic: we know that they are in business to make money \u2013\u00a0a development that serves our need to be employed. We realise that due to globalisation and its impact on our careers, at some point we would become expendable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also understand, as some researchers in organisational behavioural science have echoed, that lifelong employment might no longer be possible and that we are retained to the extent that we can provide value to organisations. In exchange, we are rewarded with reasonable compensation packages, as well as training and resources to be efficient in our roles in order to be employable elsewhere, should the need be.\u00a0 (Coyle-Shapiro, 2000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless,\u00a0 for the duration of our stints in companies, we believe that employers could rise above the status of simply being \u2018decent\u2019; they could become\u00a0exceptional.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rewards? Our increased\u00a0engagement<\/a>\u00a0 leading\u00a0\u00a0to less absenteeism, reduction in turnover and increased customer satisfaction \u2013 factors which translate to higher performance at the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, as a prospective exceptional employer we want you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1) Show us that we matter to you<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not always about the money. As Badgeville\u2019s infographic below illustrates, 70% of us are more motivated by non-monetary rewards at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Surprised to know that 83% of us prefer recognition for our work than rewards or gifts? Or that 90% of us find a fun work environment \u201cvery or extremely\u201d motivating? What about the revelation that in every age group, opportunities for growth are a more motivating factor for staying in a company than pay increases?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, armed with those statistics, you could differentiate your company from the pack and earn yourself  committed and loyal staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2) Prioritise clear communication <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This may sound simple but do you really listen to us and then take actions to address our concerns?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you willing to go back to the basics to create a\u00a0\u2018listening culture\u2019<\/a>\u00a0that would benefit us both?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#Management<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 go back to the basics, build a \u2018listening\u2019\u00a0#culture<\/a>\u00a0and boost performance \u2013\u00a0http:\/\/t.co\/vIr6LMZYzG<\/a>.\u00a0pic.twitter.com\/xZyMKKMzUQ<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Lucille Ossai (@LucilleOssai) October 30, 2014<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n


We also value factual and timely feedback. Therefore,\u00a0 promoting an\u00a0atmosphere whereby communication is prioritised<\/a>,\u00a0from top management to new entrants, empowers us in our roles and prepares us for future crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note  this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

#Leadership<\/a> without good communication is as effective as draining the sea one teaspoon at a time. It doesn\u2019t work. #Businesstips<\/a>. #Comms<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Lucille Ossai (@LucilleOssai) July 18, 2015<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So say what you mean and mean what you say. Take two-way jargon-free communication seriously\u2026and you won\u2019t regret it when you notice increased productivity at the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3) Uphold fairness and promote transparency<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

You should neither have \u2018inner circles\u2019, nor a preference for promoting the interests of certain C-suite executives to the detriment of your workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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While experienced professionals bring a wealth of experience and much needed insight to the company\u2019s operations,\u00a0these three groups of executives<\/a>\u00a0cause havoc by their behaviours and must be swiftly weeded out when consistent complaints are made by the staff. (There should already be an functional communication channel via which employees are encouraged to express their dissatisfaction).

When incidents of discrimination and harassment have been reported, we expect you to do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Launch an independent investigation;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Strongly renounce the offence;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Discipline the perpetrators by adhering strictly to sanctions listed in your policy without fear or favour;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Compensate the victim appropriately by offering whatever financial, legal or psychological aid (i.e. therapy) that is required \u00a0for his well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In order words, we want you to be fair<\/em>. The employee handbooks and other corporate manuals were penned for a reason \u2013 to support the vision of the company as it relates to the humane management of its manpower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rules should not be waived because the CEO  plays golf with the Chairman twice a month; nor because the chief operating officer and the chief financial officer were roommates at university; nor because the HR boss comes from the same town as the technical director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For other issues relating to compensation packages, promotions and career development, we also request that you be transparent<\/em>. Career progression must be based on competence and experience; no one should be denied a coveted spot because of age, gender, ethnicity etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being fair and transparent would make you more credible. When we trust your leadership, we will support you in ways you wouldn\u2019t imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now we realise that the points above might appear impractical to some. Others would reckon that they cannot be implemented due to historical or cultural influences or because of business concerns like cost reduction and lean management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Still, you should ask this question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow important are our talented staff \u2013 in whom we have invested Xamount in Yyears to train, develop and handle large\/complex projects \u2013 to our operations this year?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since we drive your productivity to levels envied by your rivals and boost your reputation, the truth is that losing us to competitors by simply being \u2018decent\u2019  would be easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To retain us, you need to become\u00a0exceptional<\/strong>. It doesn\u2019t matter if you are a large organisation or a small business; you\u2019ll need to evolve. It takes courage, a commitment to change and a culture of continuity to ensure that new processes \u2018stick\u2019, but start the process anyway. When we see the efforts being made, we will be encouraged to go \u2018over and beyond\u2019 what is expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s a promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kindly post your comments below, anonymously if you prefer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t rush off just yet. Please remember to:<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Share this article in your social media networks by clicking on the icons at the top of this post or below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Sign up for updates in the blog\u2019s right sidebar so that you are\u00a0immediately<\/strong>\u00a0notified via email when a new blog post is published. Never miss an article again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Recommended reading<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employee Retention: 5 Reasons Why I Would Leave Your Company<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N.B-<\/u><\/strong> First image courtesy of Cooldesign; via freedigitalphotos.net. Second image courtesy of Ammer; via freedigitalphotos.net. Embedded tweets courtesy of author\u2019s twitter account. Third and fourth images courtesy of Stuart Miles; via freedigitalphotos.net. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It takes a little effort to be a decent human being. When we were children, we were taught principles which later became values and shaped our characters: Respect everyone; be considerate; be charitable, do onto others as you would have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[491,497,556,557,574,649,762],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-communication","tag-company","tag-employees","tag-employer","tag-fairness","tag-management","tag-staff"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":95,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2012\/04\/28\/the-impact-of-globalisation-on-the-new-employment-relationship\/","url_meta":{"origin":49,"position":0},"title":"The Impact Of Globalisation On The ‘New’ Employment Relationship","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"April 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Get insights into how globalisation impacts actions and decisions of both the employer and the employee in today's evolving world.","rel":"","context":"In \"employee\"","block_context":{"text":"employee","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/employee\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Globalisation-pix.gif?fit=800%2C508&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Globalisation-pix.gif?fit=800%2C508&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Globalisation-pix.gif?fit=800%2C508&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Globalisation-pix.gif?fit=800%2C508&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/31\/the-dying-art-of-managing-the-psychological-contracts-of-employees\/","url_meta":{"origin":49,"position":1},"title":"The Dying Art Of Managing The Psychological Contracts Of Employees","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"August 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Every professional in gainful employment has a psychological contract. 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As a concise article drawing upon findings from researchers in the field of organisational behavioural science, this post will interest both Management and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"communication\"","block_context":{"text":"communication","link":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/tag\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qeF60RgtHXg\/VAIXsqAn0OI\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/9VNWFJAzVps\/s1600\/Torn%2Bcontract%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.com%2BNongpimmy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qeF60RgtHXg\/VAIXsqAn0OI\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/9VNWFJAzVps\/s1600\/Torn%2Bcontract%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.com%2BNongpimmy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qeF60RgtHXg\/VAIXsqAn0OI\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/9VNWFJAzVps\/s1600\/Torn%2Bcontract%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.com%2BNongpimmy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-qeF60RgtHXg\/VAIXsqAn0OI\/AAAAAAAAB7M\/9VNWFJAzVps\/s1600\/Torn%2Bcontract%2B-%2Bfreedigitalphotos.com%2BNongpimmy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60,"url":"https:\/\/lucilleossai.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/27\/discussion-forum-2-what-would-make-you-happy-at-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":49,"position":2},"title":"Discussion Forum #2 – What Would Make You Happy At Work?","author":"Lucille Ossai","date":"September 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy employees do great things for the organisation. 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