What is it like to work in an organization? Can the statement ‘you work and the company pays’ suffice the relationship between the employer and an employee or does it involve something more, something extra? The answer is obvious for we are still living in an age where a company has to deal with humans and not robots. Any relationship in which humans are involved cannot work successfully in a mechanistic atmosphere. A human psyche is such that it can neither work in a state of anarchy nor in the state of tyranny. A balance of the two, and the company and its employees are ready to rule. We all know that the rare and best flowers bloom only when there is a deliberate attempt to balance the amount of sunlight and water that they should get.
However, the balancing is not as simple as it appears to be. There are always grey shades involved, thanks to the nature of humans and their spectacular ability to be as different as they can be from each other! A company’s HR policies might be perfect but there will always be an extra mile left for it to cover. The basic formula remains the same: the performance of the employees is directly proportional to the efforts that you make to keep them motivated. Give them an aspiring atmosphere, then sit, and marvel at the results that follow.
Nevertheless, the million dollar question that arises is what all can a company do to reap the best fruits. To be honest, it is a simple matter of deciding how much water and how much sunlight. For example the working atmosphere should neither give its employees a feeling of being always monitored like ‘BIG BROTHER is watching you’ nor should it give them a sense of ‘ you are your own ruler therefore rule’. The two situations might seem paradoxical but they are not. Hatch a strategy, watch yet appear to be blind!
Some companies organize regular discussions between the employees and their bosses. This definitely increases the interaction between the two parties but above all a healthy discussion gives each party an opportunity to have an access to the other party’s thought process. During a discussion, one can gauge what is cooking inside the employers’ mind and can therefore increase one’s own prospects of professional success.
Let me make it a little more simple to understand. Let’s see it from an employee’s POV..how things shape up in his / her mind:
I love it when I participate and engage actively in the workings of my company, when the boss seeks my input or when I am made to feel that my opinions and presence matter. A company should not forget that it is not dealing with automatons who’ll do only what they are asked to do. It is working with humans who love to get involved. I feel motivated to work in a culture that promotes thought leadership.
Development in terms of work, processes or technology is happening at a very rapid pace. Consequently, we ought to adapt to these developments so that our performance or output is also on an equal footing. Towards achieving this, management can provide us with the needful training on a regular basis. Besides, by encouraging participation in various discussions, seminars, conferences, summits etc it can help the employees to analyze and expand their own mental ability by interacting with other best brains in the industry.
Yes, I am an efficient employee for I love my work and working area. However, being a human my work is not the only thing that defines me. I might even start hating my work (which I earlier loved) if all that I do is work and no play. Along with my work, I love my family and I have a humanistic spirit of adventure and exploring things that are beyond my work and office. I would love if encouragement is given to me from my boss(es) ‘to go out and play’! Therefore, a company should have a policy of organizing occassional holiday trips,small picnics or outings to give its employees a break from the workload. More often than not, it does help to connect better with each other, more as friends than colleagues.
I make sure that I put all my energies and creative abilities into the work I do. I deliver it to my Boss only when I am fully satisfied with it. However, my company stands upon the idea of working under strict deadlines. Okay, I agree the description sounds bad but deadlines are not as bad if they are flexible (another paradox…!). An answer to this paradox could be holding weekly reviews, a practice that is followed in most organizations. Providing reviews can be satisfying both for the employee as well as for the employer. These help to keep a track of various projects. Reviews can enable an employee to inform his seniors whether he needs some more time or resource to fulfill his assigned tasks or targets. Consequently, by listening to the review employers can judge the momentum of the work and decide the further plan of action.
Similarly, companies can give performance incentives, better retirement plans to keep its employees from changing sides, a working area designed with a motto of ‘each rule for each employee’ etc. There can be an infinite number of HR policies that can be included depending upon the size and nature of the organization. However, the basic objective of each policy should be to ensure a positive working atmosphere i.e. an apt balance of sunlight and water in order to reap a harvest of plenty! It is in the companies hand to dig and discover as much as it can from the hidden treasures of its Human Resource. After all, I know that I (employee) am the best and all that you (company) need is the RIGHT tools to realize the best in me!
