Workscape Institute

Five days a week, some of us awake with a smile and drive to work with boundless energy and enthusiasm.  Our efforts are rewarded by consistent performance feedback from our bosses.  The compensation awards that we receive - in the form of promotions, salary increases, incentive awards and stock grants - are in line with what we expect. 

Follow up:

No, this is not a dream.  It is not impossible.  We each choose our profession, career, and place of work, and it is critically important to our overall personal and professional well-being that the decisions we make align us as closely as possible with the perfect scenario depicted above.  While sometimes it is not obvious how this translates to the real world, examples of these situations surround us in every day living. 

Where do I see them?

There is small grocery store where my family shops that does a great job of employee engagement.  The employees at this mostly store brand-labeled national chain range from Millennials to Gen Xers to Baby Boomers, which is a far contrast to most supermarkets.  They have an internal succession program, offer competitive compensation and benefits, and provide an environment where great team performance and smiles seem to heavily outweigh bureaucracy and politics.  I don’t know what they put in the water there, but my family and I happily drive the extra miles at $3.17 a gallon to get that shopping experience instead of an unpleasant and impersonal one elsewhere.

Employers like this small grocery store are where:

• Employees own the responsibility to ensure that their heart is in their work.  The pride they show in providing their valuable services translates into ecstatic customers.
• Managers own the responsibility to be clear about what is expected of the employee.  The rewards they offer the employee are fair and compelling and the environment is fulfilling and team-oriented.

While these companies do exist beyond my local grocery store, most of us probably associate more with examples from “The Office” and “Dilbert.” It takes vision and concentrated effort to create these environments.  Great managers are not born, they are trained, and companies with successful corporate cultures are the best places to learn those skills.  Successful cultures are built by cultivating and keeping happy, hard-working people in your company.  Engage them, reward them and you’ll keep them.  Best of all, you’ll have happy customers.  Just like that little grocery store that I drive by the big grocery stores to get to!