From time to time, I like to pop over to WISEFAQ where they have a very keen sense about corporate culture in today's zany workforce.
One of the "classics" from these folks was an article entitled "Out of Office message: Employee 23279 has left the building" that highlights how increasingly, people feel that they are being reduced to employee numbers. Numbers, as we know, are easily changed, or deleted altogether, especially when the numbers are considered unfavorable.
Here's a challenge to employers...
- Do you believe that people are basically good? If they are good, what are we doing to acknowledge them as humans?
- Do you recognize and respect everyone as a unique individual? People constantly tell me stories about how they don't see much respect at all from upper management. From customers to lowly employees, where is the evidence of respect?
- Do you believe that everyone on your payroll has something to contribute - Sure you say you do, but all those contributions often seem to mean nothing at all to management. Can your employees contribute advice that is actually acted upon? It unfortunately often gets trashed.
When people perceive they are little more than a "unit of production" they don't feel valued, nor do they feel secure in their position. So when the numbers leave the building, is is any surprise that these numbers take with them the relationships, experience and ability? Hoping perhaps that some other future employer might place more value on these assets. Likely, those people will seek smaller firms that will recognize this, and relate to them as names and people, rather than numbers.
Considering that the backbone of our econimy is the small business sector, this represents a talent windfall.
