Editor's Note: This is part one of a three-part feature. Come back to this site tomorrow for more information on offering flexible benefits to improve job productivity.
It is conceivable for your company to have more employees than the competition yet you produce less. And it is possible for you to have disgruntled, low-output employees even though you pay your employees more than the competition pays theirs.
Productivity surveys and case studies indicate that increased worker motivation and satisfaction can increase worker output. Progressive, innovative managers now achieve productivity gains with human resource management techniques that go beyond pay incentives.
This guide discusses how to increase worker output by motivating with quality of work life concepts and by tailoring benefits to meet the needs of employees. Cost: enlightened human resource management probably costs no more than employee turnover (hiring and training new employees), unwarranted pay increases, and low productivity. Benefit: better productivity; loyal, efficient workers; higher quality work, and increased likelihood of staying in business.
The essence of employee motivation and effectiveness is the manner in which they are managed. A direct relationship exists between effective management (i.e., providing a work environment that simultaneously achieves company goals and employees' goals) and modern human resource management.
Your management success is judged by your skill and knowledge in recognizing and assessing issues that concern employees and by your ability to resolve these concerns with employee help and satisfaction.
- Do your employees know how you judge and measure their performance?
- Do you provide and encourage individual development with training and educational programs?
- Do you trust your employees and rely upon their knowledge?
- Do you let employees make decisions?
- Do you have timely, accurate, open two-way communication with your employees?
If you answer no to all of these questions, you probably are an unsatisfactory human resource manager and have (or will have) employee-productivity problems.
QUALITY OF WORK LIFE. Getting high-quality job performance from your employees depends on giving employees opportunities for their personal growth, achievement, responsibility, recognition and reward.
Pay - money - is the primary need and reward. Once the compensation (pay and benefits) is established properly, it is necessary to use other means to further motivate and improve your work force's output. The basis of all job enhancement efforts is your recognition of employees' desire to do good work, to assume responsibility, to achieve and to succeed.
Changes to consider in creating a new quality of work life atmosphere include:
From: detailed job descriptions with specific tasks and rigid instructions on how to do the work
To: Flexible, diverse work assignment allowing self-regulation, variety and challenge
From: Structured chain of command, managers making decisions and supervisors bossing
To: Worker involvement in planning, decision-making and operating procedure
From: Hierarchical channels of communications
To: Direct, fast two-way communication
From: Limited on-the-job instruction
To: Advanced training, educational and career development opportunities
From: Job specialization in one task
To: Leeway allowed for every employee to complete many task by crossing lines of specialization
From: Obscure, irregular job evaluations
To: Objective job performance standards with measures fairly administered
From: Careless or neglected safety and health conditions
To: Clean, safe and healthful working conditions
The quality of work life technique is to involve your employees by sharing the management responsibility and authority with them - the workers who do the job.
This article was reprinted with the permission of Bizmove.com.