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Leading Today's Workers

The task of attracting, retaining, and motivating employees is one of the most critical skills a leader must develop, especially in a workplace where the manager is more hands-off and merely coaches his subordinates.

Workers have undergone some significant changes as well: the workplace is more diverse (gender, culture, race, age, etc.) and workers expect more than a paycheck from their employers. Another major change is that few workers expect to spend their entire career in one place, and will readily jump ship when another company offers them a better deal (which, again, is not always monetary).

Key retention factors are identified as flexible work arrangements (adaptable working hours), meaningful and challenging work, professional development, recognition, and a culture of inclusion and openness.

There is also a discussion of the implicit contract between employer and employee - each is expected to contribute something to the benefit of the other, and dissatisfaction can occur on both sides if the terms of this contract (which are vague and undocumented) are not fulfilled.

The author identifies three aspects of the contract that need to be understood by both parties:

These elements were determined by examining employee exit interviews in companies with high rates of turnover.

Another list identifies five desires that motivate individuals: the desire to do meaningful work, to have a modicum of dignity, to have a sense of community in the workplace, to have input into decisions, and to have an opportunity to learn and grow.

A bulleted list of suggested strategies is provided:

In the recap, there is a note that organizations began to be concerned about the changing nature of the workforce in the 1980's and are still in the process of evolving.

EN: The evolution isn't a steady trend, but reflects the attitiude comapnies take when labor is in short supply. In times when labor is abundant and workers need jobs, many firms relapse to whip-and-carrot management.