Die neue Langsamkeit: Frauen in Führungspositionen
Kürzlich gingen diese Headlines durch die Großen der Presse: „New York Stock Exchange gets its first female president“ NBC News, „New York Stock Exchange appoints first female leader“ BBC News, „Meet the first woman to lead the NYSE in 226 years“ - ABC News. Erst habe ich mich total gefreut. Aus Solidarität. Von Frau zu Frau. Dann habe ich einen Kommentar von einem User dazu gelesen. „Wäre es nicht besser einfach Stacey Cunningham zu sagen, anstatt die erste Frau?“. Guter Punkt. Einerseits freue ich mich über jede Frau, die es in eine Führungsposition geschafft hat, andererseits ist es irgendwie traurig dass es als etwas Besonderes hervorgehoben wird. Jedenfalls wird uns das Thema noch eine ganze Weile begleiten. Denn die Quoten steigen zwar, aber wahnsinnig langsam. Habe ich selbst genug für Frauen in Führungspositionen getan? Die Frage hatte ich mir selbst und auch unserem Management Team kürzlich gestellt. Beim Rückblick auf die vergangenen Jahre haben wir festgestellt, dass wir eine fast unheimlich exakte Anzahl an Frauen wie Männer in Führungspositionen eingestellt haben. Wahrscheinlich sind wir ganz automatisch zu diesem Ergebnis gekommen sind. Praktisch eine Folge des Nicht-Drüber-Nachdenkens. Natürlich war klar, dass man mit kleinen Kindern keine Spätschicht arbeiten und auch keine Überstunden mit Baby leisten kann. Und?! „Einfach machen. Nicht nachdenken“ Wann, bei der aktuellen Entwicklung, wird sich die Quote von Männern und Frauen angleichen? Erst im kommenden Jahrhundert; wenn man die Kurve weiterzieht. Wir alle wissen, dass es im Allgemeinen in Unternehmen immer noch so richtig dünn aussieht mit den Frauen in Führungspositionen. Auch ich saß in meiner Berufslaufbahn teilweise als einzige Frau am Entscheider Tisch. Ein paar mehr wären da schon schön gewesen. Laut McKinseys „Women matter“ liegt die Zahl der Management Positionen, die mit Frauen besetzt sind nur bei 25%. Maximal lese ich von 30% in anderen Studien. Die Gründe sind hinreichend und lange bekannt und im Grunde einfach zu lösen. Etwas mehr Unterstützung und pasende Rahmenbedingungen sowie Flexibilität zu Ort und Zeit der Arbeit können zumindest für etwas größere Unternehmen kaum ein wirkliches Organisationsproblem darstellen. Dabei fängt es super gut an. Frauen sind in Europa wie den USA genau so ambitioniert wie Männer, es in die TOP Positionen zu schaffen (48% Frauen vs. 44% Männer), aber durch fehlende Unterstützung und Förderung der Unternehmen den nächsten Schritt zu gehen, machen sie es schlicht nicht. Die Vielfalt der Führungskräfte-Stile bleibt dann voll auf der Strecke und Unternehmens kommen weit weniger voran, weiblichen Mitarbeitern fehlt ein Stück Identität und man steckt in Innovationsblockaden. Wäre die Arbeitswelt gerechter? Wenn Vielfalt an Führung ein wesentliches Problem ist, ja- Ich denke schon. Vielleicht hätte es bei so manch schlechter Banken-Lage bei einem höheren Anteil an Frauen in Führungspositionen keine Boni in Milliardenhöhe für Manager gegeben. Oder es gäbe vielleicht dazu neue Impulse. Vielleicht werden Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen in der Zukunft entscheiden, ob eine Führungskraft einen Bonus bekommt oder die Kriterien sind nicht mehr Gewinne sondern Mitarbeiter- und Kundenzufriedenheit. Wäre bei mehr Vielfalt in der Führung die Gehalts-Schere zwischen Mitarbeiter und Vorstand immer noch so groß? Je nach Land bekommen Vorstandsmitglieder mehr als 300 Mal so viel. Frauen im C- Level. Der Anteil weiblicher CEO der 500 größten globalen Unternehmen liegt leider nur unter 5%. Vermutet werden um 20%. Der Frauenanteil in den Vorständen der Top 200 Unternehmen in Deutschland liegt bei 8,1% und der Frauenanteil in den Vorständen der DAX-30-Unternehmen bei 13 %. Trotz der seit 2016 geltenden gesetzlichen Geschlechterquote von 30 Prozent für neu zu besetzende Aufsichtsratsposten in börsennotierten Unternehmen und der Selbstverpflichtung von Unternehmen sich selbst was dazu zu überlegen ist bisher ist noch nicht wahnsinnig viel passiert. Im Öffentlichen Dienst in Deutschland sieht es mit knapp 50% gut aus. Besser ist es auch in anderen Ländern. Der Frauenanteil in Vorständen von Unternehmen in Norwegen liegt beispielsweise bei 34%. Zusammenfassung: Die großen Headlines, dass es eine Frau in eine TOP Position geschafft hat, werden uns wohl noch eine ganze Weile beschäftigen... Und ja, natürlich muss der Anteil von Frauen an Führungspositionen muss signifikant verbessert werden. Für die Chancengleichheit der Einzelnen und das Vorankommen der Unternehmen. Lösungen, wie „Mühe geben“ oder eine Quote einführen (wollen 2/3 der Frauen) bringen Verbesserungen, aber einfach mega langsam. „Einfach machen. Nicht nachdenken“ ist (m)ein Appell. An alle Frauen und Männer, die heute in Führungspositionen sind und wiederum Führungskräfte einstellen. Die nächste Generation wird dann hoffentlich im größeren Stil „Einfach machen. Nicht nachdenken“. Es gibt Hoffnung, denn den Satz habe ich von einem unserer Mitarbeiter entliehen, der heute 25 Jahre alt und auf bestem Weg ist selbst später mal selbst Führungskräfte für sein Unternehmen einzustellen. I was wondering…
Is it possible to attract employees through food? … Absolutely! With Generation Z entering the workplace now free food is the trend perk to attract employees. Nothing can be more appealing than a healthy, enjoyable, collaborative, and vibrant work environment. Food can play an influential role. And what I realized more importantly is that employers must offer free food. For better workplace culture. For health. Great leaders prioritize healthy food for their teams. Isn’t health one of the most important aspects that require attention in almost every workplace? Not because healthy employees are directly proportional to improved productivity but because eating healthy is a shared responsibility. It is wrong to think that eating healthy is your personal choice. Healthy eating starts from the home and extends to every sphere of personal life including the workplace. Today’s leaders pay too little attention in promoting healthy eating habits. There are still very few workplaces where healthy meals are provided and the number of offices encouraging team lunches is even lesser! Workplace consumes one-third of the time of employees. This is a lot … This for sure calls for the introduction of healthy food choices for employees. Specifically, in the low-income workforce, the problem of unhealthy eating habits at work is most common because workers cannot afford high-priced healthy food. Moreover, the lunch breaks are so brief, only 30-minutes long in some places. Therefore, employees end up grabbing or ordering a burger or a pizza. One must not, however, be mislead and confuse cause and effect. Can we change unhealthy eating habits at work? Offices, i.e. Customer Service Centers, are typically located away from the city center, at isolated areas. The area itself is usually quite depressing and unappealing. Shouldn’t employers compensate the boredom with attractive food options? A great option that seems legitimate, reliable, and workable is having a catering service to deliver quality meals every day according to a variety of menus. Food Delivery vs. Catering I was working in the food delivery space for almost five years and I noticed a big difference between ordering catering and delivered meals for the teams. Catered food can communicate a strong message of connectivity and equality while single meals can further drive employees apart. And what I like most is that catering promotes a trend of equality since all get the same food. Mood follows food Mondays can be tough but knowing we will have free breakfast together definitely helps all of us to start the week with positive energy and 100% drive. It reflects our company as healthy space and encourages a culture of interactivity. We always make our food choices based on at least some health goals by providing health-benefitting meals prepared with care and quality ingredients that keep energy levels high and hunger pangs low. Good nutrition is not complicated In the past few years, we had a number of different caterers. I learned that a nut butter and banana toast with a bit of agave syrup, which is packed with vitamins and minerals, porridge with flax and chia seeds cooked in almond milk with added sweet spices and fruit for a healthy dose of protein and a simple and delicious berry and yogurt smoothie nourishes success. The hassle of getting food Breakfast also helps our employees remain stress-free as they would know that quality food will be provided and they won’t need to go through the hassle of going to restaurants nearby, preparing or ordering food for themselves. Healthy food catering is the leader’s responsibility and definitely a win-win deal for companies, leaders and employees. I don’t hear it very often when people admit to loving their jobs more than anything, so much so that they work 7 days of a week. I am one of those few enthusiasts who are alright with grinding it out in the office throughout the week with a smile. The love for my job never agitated me to put in the extra work and that’s why I never felt the need to divide my work-life from my private one. I feel blessed to have the freedom and the opportunity to work creatively. But is everyone so much in love with their job? The answer would lie somewhere between ‘maybe’ and ‘maybe not’.
There are many people who at least ‘like’ their jobs but if you allow them the opportunity to freely choose what to do differently with their time, they’ll probably open up and share the small-term goals or hobbies that have been put aside because of work. Different people have different needs. Younger people would love to travel and explore the globe, families want to spend time together, working mothers need some more personal space to free themselves from the exhaustion of juggling with work and taking care of their kids. Everybody has something that they wish to do if they can free up some time from their hectic jobs. I believe that one’s own life model should always stay paramount to one’s scheduled life. Most of the work force work 5 days a week which leaves not enough space to try anything else. But what if, in light of the above, a company can go the extra mile and do something to take away this stress from its employees? How far can a company go or how much can it give up for the sake of the people who work for it? Standard working schedules and working hours are becoming a thing of the past. But could a 4-day workweek with full pay compensation be on some employers’ agenda? Should they ask themselves if they are ready to offer this as incentive to their employees? I am well aware that it’s a bold statement to put forward. But Is it really 20% more costs or might we see a progressive shift in the company’s productivity. I believe that such a change in working practices is long overdue. This would also help to attract young talent from across the globe for whom standard perks might seem not-so-interesting. With 3 days off as their weekend, employees would have a chance to connect with their families in a better way, spend time working on a hobby, find some personal space and get to work on their own personal stuff, maybe new startups will be built that their current employer would make possible. People would come back to their workplace energized and that would increase the overall productivity of the work. This would not only ensure a healthier employee-employer relationship but would also go into a totally new era of how work feels. Maybe more people then don’t have to devide so strict between work and private life. Ich arbeite jetzt seit mehr als 15 Jahren in Führungspositionen internationaler Unternehmen. Von Start-up bis Konzern. In Unternehmen, die sich von einigen wenigen Mitarbeitern bis hin zu einigen Tausend Mitarbeitern entwickelt haben. Die von einem Standort in Deutschland bis hin zu zig Standorten gewachsen sind. Von Land zu Land, von Kontinent zu Kontinent . Meine erste Führungsrolle hatte ich zu der Zeit, als man noch nicht genau wusste was man mit dem Internet anfangen sollte bei einem Webhoster, der das Internet wie es heute ist, mit dem Registrieren von Domainnamen und damit verbundenen Inhalten auf Webseiten, erst ermöglicht hat. Zu der Zeit ging man mit einer AOL CD ins Internet mit 100 Freiminuten, die es in den Zeitschriften gab und konnte noch 3-Buchstaben Domains registrieren. 100 Freiminuten verbraucht man heute in 2 Stunden. Das Internet wurde Anfang 2000 da gerade neu erfunden. Das nannte man dann 2.0. Heute sind wir wohl bei 4.0. Offenbar ist dazwischen schon wieder Einges passiert...
Meine wichtigstes Learning ist, dass man sich als Führungskraft die Neugier und Offenheit gegenüber Neuem bewahren muss. Nicht nur, weil das immer wieder spannend ist und Spaß macht, sondern auch, weil man es seinen Mitarbeitern und Mitarbeiterinnen schuldig ist. Wir sind alle Teil einer großen neuen Ära. Das Internet und die Digitalisierung sind DIE Erfindungen unseres Zeitalters. Wie seinerzeit die Schrift, das Papier, der Buchdruck oder das Telefon. Da braucht es Führungskräfte, die die Teams mitnehmen und unterstützen können. Nicht jeder ist ja ein digital native. Da gibt es manches Mal Vorbehalte. Man muss ein Stück weit die Vorteile der Digitalisierung für den Einzelnen verkaufen und für sein Team Vorteile herausarbeiten können. Vor allem, weil sich die Arbeitsbeziehungen auch verändern, man sich selbst verändern muss und die Komplexität größer wird weil die Innovationsgrade steigen, muss man sich ganz schön anstrengen um da mitzuhalten und up to date zu bleiben. Die Stabilität, die man früher hatte geht etwas verloren. Da kann es manches Mal sein, dass man deswegen am Schreibtisch ganz schön außer Atem ist und Muskelkater im Gehirn bekommt. Und nicht alle Menschen mögen die Veränderung. Aber wenn die Führungskräfte die Digitalisierung verpassen, verpasst sie das Team auch. Daher müssen Führungskräfte insbesondere Veränderungen lieben und leben und sicherstellen, dass sich die Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen trotzdem sicher fühlen können. Kommunikation ist da alles. Frauen haben es in der Hinsicht meiner Meinung nach etwas leichter. Außerdem sind die Teams, vor allem in der Zusammenarbeit mit Millennials mehr und mehr unabhängig, dezentral und vielfach internationaler. Da muss man sich zusätzlich interkulturell gut bewegen können, die Individualität fördern und den dezentralen Laden zusammenhalten können. Das Sinnvollste was man machen kann ist Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen einzustellen, die einem sagen, was man tun soll weil sie die Expertise haben. Die Fachkompetenz der Führungskraft liegt dann eher im Fördern der Einzelnen, ohne dass man gefragt wird. Das Erkennen von Chancen für jeden individuell. Die Führungskraft ist Dienstleister und muss erkennen, wer vom Team die neue Führungskraft sein könnte. Das Formen eines echten Teams ist essentiell. Nur so erreicht man tolle Leistungen, weil man jedem Freiraum gibt und eine gute Fehlerkultur lebt. Ich habe damit gute Erfahrungen gemacht. Meine engsten Mitarbeiterinnen von früher sind heute selbst sehr erfolgreiche Leader. In der Zukunft werden Mitarbeiter gezielt aussuchen für welche Führungskraft sie arbeiten möchten. Mitarbeiterzufriedenheit resultiert in Erfolg. Und der macht wiederum Allen Spaß. Die Beziehungen haben sich verändert und werden es noch viel mehr tun. Man hat mal trotz Entfernung das Gefühl mithilfe von Social Media, Whatsapp usw einander nah zu sein, mal hat man das gegenteilige Gefühl, das Team entgleitet einem. Wir müssen uns an beides gewöhnen. Man ist im beruflichen Umfeld viel mehr Mensch und gleichgestellter in den Unternehmen, Hierarchien sind glücklicherweise nicht mehr da. Das ist modern und viel natürlicher. Man kann sich als Einzelne dadurch mehr ausleben und die eigenen Stärken und Interessen ausleben. Und: Man hat noch nie so viele Möglichkeiten gehabt wie heute als Arbeitnehmer. Für Unternehmen, Kunden und Partner ist die Digitalisierung gleichermaßen vorteilhaft, weil es noch nie so einfach war wie heute an ihr perfektes Gegenstück zu kommen. Alle arbeiten irgendwie auf Augenhöhe. Der Kunde hat am meisten davon, weil sich jetzt alle immer bemühen aus seiner oder ihrer Sicht zu denken und Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu bauen. Stichwort Design Thinking Eine digitale Kompetenz bedeutet für mich auch zu schauen, welche Veränderungsprozesse zusätzlich auf das Unternehmen zukommen, also neben einem neuen Führungsverständnis für die digitale Welt im allgemeinen oder das Arbeiten mit selbstverantwortlichen Teams, die neuen Strukturen wie virtuelle Führung zu verstehen und gut aufzusetzen. Heute gibt es so vielfältige und Lebensformen und die Rollenbilder verändern sich. Es gibt ein neues Selbstverständnis für die neuen Rollen der Frauen und Männer in den Arbeitswelten. Darauf müssen Führungskräfte ihre ganz individuelle Antwort im Sinne ihrer Mitarbeiter und Mitarbeiterinnen haben. Bei aller Digitalisierung und technischem Fortschritt. Die Menschen werden den Maschinen immer einen Schritt voraus sein solange wir ihnen keine Seele geben. Und was wir ja auch insgeheim aneinander mögen sind die menschlichen Fehler. Vor allem an Führungskräften. Das ändert sich auch bei 5.0 nicht, Tools wie TALOOB helfen Führungskräften Einblick in die Wünsche ihrer Teams zu geben. www.taloob.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++ I have been working for more than 15 years in management positions of international enterprises. Start-up and corporates. In companies that have evolved beginning with few people and have grown to thousands of employees. Companies that had grown to have just one location in Germany to have many of them. From country to another country, from one continent to another continent. I had my first leadership role at a Webhoster at a time when people didn’t know exactly how the internet works. We were registering domain names and brought contents on websites. People used an AOL CD of with 100 free minutes for using the internet and could register 3-letter domains still. Instead, today we spent 100 free minutes in 2 hours. The Internet was reinvented at the beginning of 2000s. That was known as the 2.0. Today we are probably in the 4.0. Apparently, something has happened in between ... My most important learning is that as a leader, s/he must be curious and opened to new things. Not only because of the excitement and the fun, but also because you owe it to your employees. We are all part of a great new era. The Internet and digitization are the inventions of our age. As there were the writing, the paper, the printing press, or the telephone in its times. We need managers who can lead their teams and support them. Not everyone is a digital native. Hence there are sometimes caveats. A leader must be able to demonstrate the benefits of digitization to each individual and to work out its advantages to the team. Above all, you must make an effort to keep up and stay up to date because the work-relations and yourself are changing, the complexity is growing through the increasing levels of innovation. The stability you had before is a bit lost. It can happen that you are sometimes quite out of breath event if you are sitting at a desk. And not all people like the change. But if the manager misses the digitization, the team will miss it too. Therefore, managers, in particular, must love and live changes and be sure that the employees still feel safe. Communication is all in this case. For women, in my opinion, finding the right communications strategy is slightly easier. In addition, the teams, especially those integrated by millennials, are increasingly independent, decentralized and in many ways, international. You have also to be able to move around interculturally, promoting individuality and keeping the hold together as a team. The best thing that you can do is to hire people who can tell you what you have to do because they have the expertise! The professional competence of the manager is now more focused to the promotion of the individual, recognizing opportunities for everyone without being asked. The manager is a service provider and has to recognize who on the team could be the new leader. Forming a real team is essential. This is the only way to achieve great results, because you give everyone space, living in a good “culture of mistakes”. I have had great experiences with that. My closest associates from the past are today very successful leaders. In the future, employees will choose which executive they want to work for. Employee satisfaction results in success. And that is fun for everyone. Relations have changed and will change much more. Despite the geographical distance, you have sometimes the feeling of being close to each other through the social media, Whatsapp, etc., but sometimes you feel the opposite, that the team slips away. As a modern leader we have to habituate to both feelings. Today, one is in the professional environment much more human and works at the same level. In the companies, fortunately, strict hierarchies don’t exist any longer. That is modern and much more natural. As a result, individuals can live out their lives more and also their own strengths and interests. And: You have never had as many opportunities as today as an employee. For companies, customers and partners, digitization is equally advantageous because it has never been so easy to get to their perfect homologous today. Everyone works somehow on equal terms. The client gets the most out of it because now everyone is always trying to think from his or her point of view and to build products and services. Keyword: Design Thinking For me, digital competence also means to foresee which additional change processes are coming along for the company. Not only a new understanding of management for the digital world in general or working with self-responsible teams, but also comprise and well putting on the new structures such as virtual leadership. Today, there are many different forms of life and the role models are changing, new roles of women and men in the working world. Executives need to have their own individual answer in the interests of their employees. Despite all digitalization and technical progress, people will always be one step ahead of the machines as long as we do not give them a soul. And what we also secretly like are the human errors. Especially on executives. This also doesn’t change at 5.0. Tools like TALOOB help executives to gain insight into the wishes of their teams. www.taloob.com TALOOB is a new REVIEW SERVICE for professionals designed by scientists and experts giving individuals insights to their work and social skills based on a sophisticated algorithm. TALOOB invented a certification designed to validate leadership skills from the Teams’ perspectives TALOOB sets out to bring leadership assessment to the work environments of the 21st century. We think that leadership needs to be evaluated by those who are being led – the firm’s employees. We think that leadership skills are an essential element of human resources – leaders need to know how they are seen by team members and how they compare to leaders worldwide. We think that owners and executives need to know how their leaders do – when hiring and for professional development. We think there are a couple of great company review websites out there but nothing with scientific quality. Leadership skills that employees value and deeply embrace do not only benefit the workforce, but the entire business. The thorough and sustainable engagement of employees reflects their relationship with a leader and how closely they connect to their company. Key elements of these relations with leaders and organizations include employees’ attitudes towards achieving workrelated goals and efforts to go the extra mile for the betterment of their company. Engagement and dedication are intimately tied to leadership that provides a supportive environment, the right tools for work, and an optimal work experience that promotes wellbeing and enhances productivity. Where there is great leadership, there is sustainable engagement, productivity, and improved financial outcomes. But what is great leadership? How does it look like? And how can it be accurately gauged? Countless studies have aimed at pinning down a range of psychological and social skills leaders need to possess or develop in order to become successful managers. In today’s globalized, networked, digital, and culturally diverse economies, however, the skills that employees value and recognize vary widely. Hence, what psychometric tests determine to be effective and universally recognized skills, employees might find less than optimal or even discouraging, putting their engagement and commitment to the firm at risk. TALOOB therefore sets out to reverse the assessment of leadership skills, introducing the social relational paradigm of leadership evaluation. Not managers’ individual skills and capabilities, but employees’ perceptions and evaluations of these skills are what matters most! Only with TALOOB, employees can give ingenuous accounts based on first-hand experience and related to a concrete organizational environment and specific task domains. TALOOB thus provides leaders with accurate social relational feedback on their leadership skills, enabling them to grow and constantly evolve – not only their own abilities, but also their employees and their organizations. With TALOOB, leaders can establish close albeit efficient relations with their employees, paving the way for their engagement and dedication. Sustained engagement can only materialize where leaders are themselves interested in making an effort to grow the business, where they ensure wellbeing of their employees, and have confidence in their subordinates while trusting them with their respective assigned tasks. Such engaging leadership also includes good management of their area of work, in addition to making changes for mutual benefit of employees. Superiors who empower their juniors automatically generate well engaged employees which in turn boosts the general productivity of an organization. Scientific studies have shown that successful leadership is essential for employee satisfaction and that employee satisfaction positively affects the performance of the company. Only firms whose leaders oversee teams of contented employees can make the most of their resources. Moreover, successful leadership is essential for leaders’ reputation and future careers. Some leaders see more in us than we do. We are a team of professionals in the internet industries and the social sciences, natives to technology-driven work environments in global contexts. We are bringing together profound knowledge rooted in decades of professional experience in different fields. Our team members have expertise in international Leadership, behavioral and network economics, data analytics and econometrics, a scientific background in the sociology of culture, work and organization, and substantial experience in the technology sector, building mass market SaaS products. We combine our experience to better understand the social relations that make-up work-life, how these relations can be improved for both, leaders and employees, and how these relations generate revenue. We are people understanding people. Visit and like: www.taloob.com Customer experience encompasses every aspect of a company's offering – advertising, packaging, product and service features, ease of use, reliability and, of course, quality of customer care. One of the many marketing buzz words. Why? Finally after many years of offering excessive product features, price wars, paucity of human contact and slashing staffing costs, companies try to move indifferent customers back into the center of attention..... See more here: https://christinadanieldigital.weebly.com/blog by Christina Daniel, digital marketing evangelist Employee engagement and retention has become a common struggle among employers. Where companies are working hard to gain loyal workforce, much has to be done by employers themselves. About half of the employees who leave their jobs do so because of their immediate bosses, no matter how successful the company, and how much their salary and benefits. This culture of quitting work because of problems with a senior employer has lead to the notion that people leave bosses, not companies. The attitude of a senior employer towards his/her subordinates accounts for whether the employees quit or continue to work in the long term. Friendly managers who actually seem to care about their employees’ career and are generally a positive influence around the office are considered ideal by many. Those who are fair in their praising and appreciation of employees, promote teamwork for equal contribution by their subordinates, encouraging them to uplift each other, naturally make better bosses. Employers who inspire their team to work hard without letting them actually feel exhausted can do wonders for a company. Bosses who seem approachable, and in whom junior workers can confide in, can inspire the loyalty of their subordinates. A boss who encourages junior employees to achieve their goals, and is a source of motivation at work, can be a great positive influence in the workplace. Empowerment of employees by giving them some authority, and showing respect for them is also significant. Moreover, a boss who uses humor to maintain a lighthearted environment at the office can be fun to work with, and inspire loyalty of their juniors. On the basis of this loyalty, employees may choose to stay at the company even when a better offer comes up from elsewhere. In such a situation, the great impact on employee retention is solely accredited to the boss. A company may be offering all the benefits an employee dream of; however, when the boss makes life difficult for them, they may very well choose to leave. It is important that company leaders continue to evaluate themselves as the kind of bosses they are, and keep striving to improve themselves in order to attract, engage and retain qualified workforce. A good idea is to get reviewed by your employees through a service such as Taloob, which can even provide a certificate you can attach to your resume as extra proof of being a credible employer. Employee retention is every employer’s dream especially if the team is motivated, productive and loyal. However, many a times we hear about people leaving their jobs and choosing to quit despite being associated with a mainstream, bigwig organization. Why is that so? Why do people decide to quite when they are part of a prestigious organization? The reason is workplace environment and leadership philosophy that employers (or managers) adopt. According to a Gallup survey involving responses from over a million working professionals in the US, the boss or the leader turned out to be the number one reason for which people quit their jobs. The position they held in their company did not matter to them when they were required to work under a bad leader. So, this means, leadership style is directly related to employee retention. But, what is the thing that makes a leader good enough for employees? How to retain employees? The answer is quite simple. The magic lies in servant leadership. It is a dynamic and revolutionary philosophy under which power has to be shared between the employees and there isn’t any authoritarian style of management in practice. By servant-leader, we mean the leader who does not consider his/her employees as subordinates but instead wants to serve and empower them. Servant leadership is all about revolutionizing the power pyramid and empowering the employees. The environment at such a workplace naturally becomes enjoyable, fun, accommodative and welcoming. When employees feel ‘belonged’ to their workplace, they want to continue to work at the same place for years and years. On the other hand, when the leadership style is domineering and authoritative, employees start feeling suffocated and want to leave their jobs out of frustration. After all, self-respect and empowerment is everything that an employee seeks from his/her employer, apart from financial outcomes. Servant leadership ensures just that. There is a very strong and significant correlation between servant leadership and employee retention and loyalty. Servant leader helps employees grow in their careers while encouraging them to be a productive part of the organization and giving their hundred percent to their tasks. This results in creation of a harmonious workplace environment. Servant-leader not only understands but also promotes development of human relationships at the workplace so as to ensure that employees feel part of a bigger family instead of being merely human resource team members. This belongingness ultimately proves to be the cornerstone of a company’s success and helps the management create a powerful team. Servant leadership requires managers and leaders to shift their mindset completely; from expecting to be served, they are supposed to serve the employees. Such as, they are required to work for the betterment and welfare of their employees. This is accomplished by acknowledging the human and social aspect of work life. Thinking of employees as humans and not workers helps in unlocking ingenuity among the team members. The end result is enhanced performance at the workplace and fully engaged and satisfied employees. What makes a company an employer of choice? A rising number of employers report difficulties filling vacant positions. The importance of leadership if companies hope to entice the best talent. How do I compare to other employers on the job market? Employers of choice might not be the same for everyone, but a general idea of an ideal employer is pretty much accepted by all. Since talented candidates can get choosy when applying for a job, it is important to keep their preferences in mind. The main idea behind an ‘employer of choice’ is an employer that seems to actually care. A company that offers benefits such as health insurance, bonuses, or competent salaries that are equal to or more than the market rate, is of course going to be widely known as a much sought- after employer. Many companies even offer travel packages as perks. Such supportive deals and packages in addition to a good salary can attract many people to apply for positions in the firms. Organizations that offer opportunities for growth once they hire an employee for a certain position are also considered good employers. With the increasing competition in the global workplace and people struggling to go big, nobody likes being stuck at the same place with the same salary. Offering promotions in ranks after some time can be a great driving force to work hard, and a brilliant incentive in attracting employees. Companies with leaders who provide authority to their employees instead of making them work like puppets under total directions also are generally well reputed as employers. Empowering employees can work wonders, increasing productivity and promoting sustainable engagement. A place where their suggestions are valued, where they have a say in business decisions, where they are made aware of the latest company-related news, where their input is respected and where they are provided feedback on their tasks or appreciated on achieving goals will automatically increase job satisfaction for employees, rendering the workplace as a company worth applying at for new candidates. Flexible schedules are also more attractive, whereas long and strict working hours can be intimidating. Companies that have a reputation of fair behavior toward their employees, rewarding the most deserving ones, are also desirable employers. For places that play favorites, frustrated employees that aren’t getting what they deserve can create a bad name for their firm. A work-life balance is also thought to be crucial by many employees, with them preferring places that offer extracurricular as well. All work and no play can get dull, even at the workplace! Moreover, employers are often judged by the work environment they have to offer, with places offering more amenities and well maintained offices being the popular choice. There are a lot of discussions about the issues faced by employers in engaging and retaining employees. However, it seems that rarely do people discuss the challenges faced by employees
The modern global workplace is a competitive arena with challenges for both the employer and the employee. With many companies finding it hard to retain their employees and keep them engaged, it is best to focus and improve on all the drivers of employee engagement and retention. With heightening expectations of employees from their companies, there are many difficulties they encounter on a daily basis, especially with regard to their supervisors and company leaders. As leadership is the key aspect that matters with regard to sustainably engaging employees in their work, the attitude of employees toward their employers and vice versa matters a lot. Problems with the boss can be emotionally and physically draining for an employee. With regard to their leaders, the challenges faced by employees include unreasonable expectations, lack of appreciation, and a boss who is not approachable. Incompetent employers who just hold positions of power due to their longer work experience but lack leadership skills add to the frustration of junior employees. Where unrealistic work goals are set upon their subordinates by bosses, where the workers do not have confidence in their leaders to make decisions for mutual benefit, it can get quite challenging. Being employed in a company that talks a lot about being productive and leading, but actually does not seem to be achieving any specific goal can also be a turn-off for employees. With most of the reasons for quitting a job being directly related to the boss, company leaders and supervisors need to evaluate themselves and improve their leadership skills in order to retain their most talented workforce and build lasting work relationships with their subordinates to provide maximal benefit to their organization and increase productivity. To become the ideal employer, it is best to get reviewed by your own workforce. For the 21st century employee challenges are not just limited to poor leadership, with factors like poor work/life balance, stress, length of commute, bullying, lack of growth opportunities and poor work environment. A no-go |