Seven things employees want most to be happy at work
Experts say job satisfaction begins with respect and appreciation, not salary and perks.
from the January 28, 2008 edition
Page 2 of 3
1. Appreciation
Praise heads the list for many workers in the search for happiness.
"If the office is gorgeous, the pay is good, and the work is interesting, of course that helps," says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a marketing professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. "However, there is one huge factor that does not cost an employer money: praise. So many supervisors go out of their way to let employees know what they have done wrong, but don't bother to congratulate and praise them for success. Praise does not cost anything to give, but its benefits on employee morale are priceless."
2. Respect
This attitude costs nothing and yet yields big dividends.
"The most important factor in keeping employees happy is treating them with fairness and respect," says Pamela Skillings, a career coach in Jackson Heights, N.Y. "People want to be paid what they're worth, treated like adults, and rewarded for their good work."
Those rewards can be simple and spontaneous. "A sincere thank you or short note often means a great deal when it is recognizing an accomplishment or specific effort," says Ms. Sarikas. She finds that job dissatisfaction escalates when employees are not treated with respect or feel that their work is not appreciated.
Andrea Kay, a career consultant in Cincinnati, finds that respecting employees' ideas and time, as well as their ability to make decisions and be creative, makes them want to stay. "My clients who are miserable are in companies with policies that focus solely on profits at the expense of people," she says.
3. Trust
Going hand in hand with respect is trust. "You have to trust the people you work for, and enjoy the people you work with," says Julie Clarkson, assistant professor of business at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.
In a nationwide survey of 500 employees about what matters most in their relationship with a manager, 90 percent of workers rank honesty, fairness, and trust as their top three needs, says Terry Bacon, author of "What People Want."
4. Individual growth
What people also want is an opportunity to grow and learn on the job. "No matter how we make a living, each of us is nurtured by our own professional and personal growth," says Michael Neece, cofounder of Pongo.com, which provides résumé-writing services. "Employees want to understand how their efforts contribute to the business and want to feel that they are making a difference to their team, their department, and the company."
That is particularly true for Generation Y.
"Eighteen- to 30-year-olds are characterized by the desire to receive training, take on new challenges, expand their capabilities, and as a result, advance to new, more highly compensated roles," says Jenny Floren, founder of Experience Inc., in Boston, a provider of career services for college alumni. The focus for them is less about compensation and more about advancement, improved capabilities, and recognition of achievement marked by a new position.
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