Why do Employees Work for YOUR Organization?

If we are to believe the recent poll from Monster.com, then a vast majority of people (probably a bit of selection bias here) are looking to move jobs as we come out of this pandemic-induced change in what employee’s desire and expect. Many people discovered that there were multiple paths to their career goals that did not include commuting to a central building every day.

Of course, people work for an organization for all the classic reasons: money, status, good working conditions, responsibility, a sense of belonging, community, and did I mention money? However, these things are available at a wide variety of employers, and unless there is an existential threat of job loss or an inability to find a job, these are simply ‘table stakes’ in the life of employees. These items are often referred to as Hygiene factors (although some researchers would not include some of the elements that I see as simply ‘table stakes’ in that list). Hygiene factors are critical underpinnings to why someone works, but not why they would work for you.

Money is not enough to keep the employees you want to keep.

Another element that keeps people at your organization is simple inertia. It is scary and difficult (in most environments) to change employers. As long as one is not miserable in their work, then they tend to ‘satisfice’ where they are. As pointed out long ago by Herbert Simon, people will tend to accept the first solution that is satisfactory and then justify it to themselves and others. This inertia keeps lots of people at your organization, but perhaps not enthusiastically.

Any honest assessment by an executive will show that employees working in their organization would be successful and satisfied at many different companies. As I’ve pointed out in previous articles, a culture that works for employees is not unique. Your company culture is not unique (no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that it is) and it alone will do no more for your employee retention and enthusiasm than it does for your competitors. Every organization has a culture, and it either enables the organization to achieve, or it does not (and every gradation in between).

Inertia will keep employees at your organization, but do you want that to be your retention program?

So, what would really draw the employees that you want to your organization? What would drive employees to align together and help an organization roar? How can/could the leadership team develop something that is special and then enable its success? Having a compelling Vision, Story, Purpose that employees want to be a part of goes a long way. Having a set of internal Values, Principles, and Guidelines that are REAL pull employees together in a trusting relationship that is hard to beat (see my previous articles about Culture and Strategy).  

We are NOT in business to make money. That is an outcome that results from the activities of the employees in the organization. Making money is positive and a necessary outcome of the efforts of employees, but no customer ever bought something from you (or they should not have) because you need them to buy.

A Vision for an organization is intended to be inspirational, drawing in employees who want to be a part of that story. We would love to describe where we want to be and what we want to see in some undefined future and then ask our employees to help make it happen. Vision statements have a number of common characteristics. They are Vivid (should be able to see/feel the future), inspiring, and appeal to our emotions. They have to be envisioned from the top of the organizations that are describing where we want to go.

While vision statements can be very descriptive, most are succinct and geared toward something very memorable that will inspire people to want to be associated with the organization. The vision should tie back to the competitive advantages of the organization, such that those advantages will help the organization strive toward the vision. The vision is not meant to be 100 percent achievable but getting closer is motivating and exciting.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a vision statement is very difficult to do. A mission is very concrete and guides actions on a daily basis, while the vision is purposefully open to wide interpretation. What inspires one employee might seem inconsequential to another, so we seek a group of employees that want to be a part of where we want to go. The goal of all of these efforts is to get employees all moving in generally the same direction. Unfortunately, there is a balance to be struck in the effort. The more latitude of interpretation in the vision statement, the more likely it is that employee efforts will be widely dispersed (defeating the whole purpose of crafting one).

Consider the following vision statements:

Alzheimer’s Association: “A world without Alzheimer’s”

This is a very tight approach. It might mean efforts in many areas within the organization counter and compete, but it has everyone aimed in a single direction.

Save the Children: “A world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation”

Once again, this is focused on a single area (children) while widening the arc of attention into four different areas. One just hopes that the structure of the organization is tied to this.

The Walt Disney Organization: “To make people happy”

It’s hard to miss the desire here. There are so many interactions with customers every day that any addition to this would just muddy the message.

​Valero: “The world needs reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy. We are advancing the future of energy through innovation, ingenuity, and unmatched execution.”

The first sentence is a statement, but also a guiding approach. The second suggests the means by which they hope to achieve that approach.

The value and impact of any Vision statement are really founded upon how well it guides the practices of the organization and how well it inspires employees to want to be a part of the effort. A ‘Vision’ is most likely in the eye of the beholder and whether it inspires one to want to join/act is very personal. There is not a perfect Vision/Purpose but having one that meets the criteria set out above can go a long way toward attaining and retaining the inspired employees you want in your organization.