Disrupt yourself: how to avoid complacency, build productivity and keep talent engaged
| Date | 08 October 2018 |
| Published date | 08 October 2018 |
| Pages | 267-268 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-10-2018-148 |
| Author | James Lowery |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
Strategic commentary
Disrupt yourself: how to avoid complacency,
build productivity and keep talent engaged
James Lowery
Keeping talent engaged is a key
challenge for every business –
and especially in the UK,
where productivity has declined to the
point that, to match the USA’s
performance, it would need to increase
itshourlyoutputby32percent.
When quirky start-ups are offering
abundant perks and benefits to their
teams, more traditional companies
have found it difficult to keep up.
Knowing how to keep complacency at
bay and ensure that staff remain
interested in working for you is all-
important: when you find the winning
combination, you can boost
productivity, stimulate business
growth and prevent an exodus of
talent to your competitors.
To keep employees engaged,
traditional businessesmust effectively
disrupt themselves –re-evaluating
their benefits, culture and
communication to create an
environment where employeescan
(and want to) do their best work.
If you are working for sucha
business, here is where to start.
Benefits
Do the benefits, perks and rewards
you are offering to your employees
really speak to their needs?
Glassdoor data reveal that these
benefits are a priority for 57 per cent of
all workers when considering whether
or not to accept a new job. Some 90
per cent of younger employees
between 18 and 34 said that they
would accept new or additional
benefits over an increase in salary.
It is not hard to see why. The right
benefits, perks and rewards can make
employees feel wanted, valued and
motivated by their employers. That is
why Qualtrics is giving every employee
$1,500 per year to spend on
experiences they would not otherwise
be able to afford, and that is why
Airbnb gives employees an annual
allowance of $2,000 to travel and stay
in its listings anywhere in the world.
They are expensive perks,to be sure,
and not every business will be able to
afford them. But their true worth is
less about their monetary value, and
more about what they say aboutthe
employer. They have tailored their
benefits to millennials who workmore
hours, sacrifice more holiday time,
retire later and make less money than
their parents. Under these
circumstances, it is easy to feel
disillusioned or burnt out.
Qualtrics and Airbnb solve this
problem by subsidising leisure and
extracurricular activities.You do not
have to do the same to show you care
about employee wellbeing: a fitness
class, health care, vouchers and other
little things can go a long way towards
motivating your team.
Environments
Gensler research indicates thatthe
physical office environment is the
James Lowery is Co-lead at Storey,
London, UK.
DOI 10.1108/SHR-10-2018-148 VOL. 17 NO. 5 2018, pp. 267-268, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jPAGE 267
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