Don't Just share Workstations...Share Rewards

 

 "Now, in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; to gain the enemy's property, our men must be rewarded with war trophies. " -Sun Tzu

Most business leaders ( notice that I said most; not all ) are aware of, and accept the thought that great companies are built by great employees. Beyond a shadow of a doubt they know that their company's creative ideas, and winning execution, come from the work of its employees. And the retention of those great employees will be determined by three things mainly:

1. How well you treat them
2. How well you train them
3. How well you pay them

Attention to all aspiring managers and business leaders: It would do you a great justice to not sleep on the fact that good people have a tendency to know their VALUE and what they contribute to a company or organization. So.....if you want to retain good people, you by all means need to pay careful attention to those three points that were just laid out. If your work environment is so demanding or the hours are unusual, you will need to compensate accordingly. End of discussion!!!
Companies who go against this wisdom and try to keep good people without investing in them often end
up being the loser in the war for talent. An employee who doesn't get training but wants to better him/herself will seek out an employer that will develop those skills. Employees who know they are doing a good job will want to be paid accordingly for that work. Wouldn't you?   


Here are some points that are required to successfully retain people in your company:

• Offer rewards that are relevant to the employees- When and wherever possible, rewards must be dished out in relevance to the individual being rewarded. Different people want different rewards. Your reward structure should conform to the needs of your workforce, or the workforce you are trying to retain and attract.
• Consistently communicate the value of what you offer- In order for what you have to offer your employees, as far as rewards are concerned, this consistent communication must go beyond a weekly paycheck for it to even be effectively registered. Understand: The paycheck is a given. Your employees need to understand what they are receiving and how it reflects the company's commitment to their talent. Constantly communicate the value of your benefits to your employees. This is particularly important with non-paycheck rewards. If it isn't obvious how what you are offering differentiates you from the competitors that want to hire them, they can't find value in that reward. The details are important here. Do you have a diverse staff? How many languages do you need to communicate in? Are certain benefits more valuable to certain employees ( e.g., flextime for working parents....hint- " ALWAYS A PLUS ")? Most importantly, DO NOT  rely on one single communication- too many people will fail to understand what your are trying to say.

And that's real talk.

Detour. 

As the Year Of The Dragon approaches, I can't help but wonder why no one seems to be talking about the end of the world anymore. What happened to the Mayan calendar that everyone was leaning on to wipe the human population out a couple of years ago? I'm just saying. But anyways, any other Dragons out there? 1976! 2012.

My big brother, Minh Duong, once told me....in the year of the Dragon, one's fire will be so constructive that those who contain this force, the Dragon's, must be very careful not to allow the fire to burn out of control...one must BECOME THE FIRE!