Can the Gaps in the Employer - Employee Perception be closed?

Your Corporate Strategy:  It Just Doesn’t Matter?     Part 13

I am re-posting this as a way of re-setting the stage for the rest of "Strategy Doesn't Matter?". The next installment, "Train, but Train What", will follow next week.

A previously quoted Forbes talent retention article, by Mike Myatt, echoed a great number of past surveys and studies:

“When examining the talent at any organization look at the culture, not the rhetoric – look at the results, not the commentary about potential despite some of the delusional perspective in the corner office, when we interview their employees, here’s what they tell us:

·      More than 30% believe they’ll be working someplace else inside of 12 months. 

·      More than 40% don’t respect the person they report to.

·      More than 50% say they have different values than their employer.

·      More than 60% don’t feel their career goals are aligned with the plans their employers have for them.

·      More than 70% don’t feel appreciated or valued by their employer.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/12/13/10-reasons-your-top-talent-will-leave-you/

Mike Myatt also said,
“How can we resolve these gaps in perception?

·      Thorough communication and manager training!

·        Even the best intended HR programs (and strategy) fall flat without proper communication.

·        Often times our employees aren’t fully aware of all the organization is doing for them or how much the organization is spending on programs.

·         Moreover, all the communication in the world won’t offset a [poor and/or] poorly informed manager.

·         Managers need to be trained not only on understanding and evangelizing (advertising) the company message, but also on bringing concerns back to HR so employee issues can be addressed.”

The first step in forming a successful strategy is knowing, not assuming.  Investigate and gather the

facts. A strategy vision without implementation knowledge and communication is doomed. A

strategy anchored in knowledge, faithfully executed and communicated will become the new cultural

norm. 

What is your current norm?

Next:  Train, but train what?

Can the Employee – Employer Disconnect be Solved?

Your Corporate Strategy:  It Just Doesn’t Matter?       Part 12

It is all about being disconnected from what you and your organization think, believe or want to believe and what actually exists within your company or organization.  A June 2012 white paper on a Kenexa survey (an IBM RPO Company), produced these results: 

Engaged
69 percent of employers believe employees are engaged, while only 34 percent of employees claim to be. Engagement means different things to different people. For employers, engagement can be represented by employee productivity, attendance and development. For employees, engagement may be more about feelings than actions.

Recommend Us!
81 percent of HR professionals think employees would recommend the organization to a friend. Only 38 percent actually would. If your employees aren’t fully engaged, they might consider leaving the organization. Bringing a friend into an organization that you aren’t fully engaged with might affect a personal relationship—a risk many aren’t willing to take.

Fair Benefits
71 percent of HR professionals think the organization has fair benefits while only 48 percent of employees agree with this statement. Communication is key for employees to understand their benefits package and how much the organization spends on their benefits, particularly when it comes to health care. Employees might only notice when they pay more out of pocket for benefits, when in reality both employees and employers are sharing a growing cost.

Compensation
53 percent of HR professionals think they provide fair compensation compared to only 30 percent of employees. After a few years of tight budgets, organizations are starting to give reasonable increases, but not yet at pre-recession levels. Focus on key employees to ensure top talent is compensated fairly. 

Retention
83 percent of HR professionals think their employees plan to stay for the next year.  [Only] 41 percent of employees agree with this statement. With engagement low and belief that compensation and benefits aren’t fair, it should come as no surprise that employees aren’t committed to their organization. Moreover, through the recession, many employees stayed with their organization out of a need for security. Now that organizations are hiring again, loyalty starts to waver.

http://www.kenexa.com/Portals/0/Downloads/Employee%20Attitudes%20and%20Engagement.pdf

Note:  Making certain you are paying competitive wages means 50% of the companies are paying more and you’ll only be average.  As Chuck Csizmar covers in Compensation Café, “Competitive Pay Is Not Enough”.

Next: Can the gaps in the employer – employee perception be closed?