We must modernise the way we work in order to attract and retain great people, grow performance and increase the bottom-line. More and more, the impact of the modern world and the new ways of thinking that come with the younger generation, are affecting the foundation of business growth in the area of effectively leveraging people. Ever increasing turnover is alerting businesses to the need to implement new and improved engagement strategies, and the solution is specifically related to addressing the whole-person... Not just the body, but also the mind, the heart and the spirit.
Is work a chore? Just as Australian cities must be exciting in order to draw in the people and investment that will underpin future economic growth, our companies must also inbuild excitement into the culture in order to grow the best teams. Young people are bringing a different set of values, expectations and desires into the workplace. They’re looking for fun, collaboration and the ability to contribute their own ideas, just to name a few. This is definitely a paradigm shift for many businesses that are still operating under the old industrial-style model, when people were simply used as able bodies. Where the focus was primarily on materials, it was relatively painless to lose and replace workers, however now-a-days companies must differentiate based significantly on knowledge and losing this mind-bank is costing companies a bucket-load in terms of bottom-line profits AND opportunities.
So how can we incorporate Gen Y values into the workplace? Instead of paying lip-service to the concept of team-work and appreciating people’s differences, those leaders that are ahead of the curve are implementing strategies that harness these differences to generate greater productivity and enthusiasm from each and every person, and thereby they are creating the infamous team-synergy (1+1=11) that is most often talked about but rarely experienced in reality. In a nutshell, they are identifying each individual’s natural talents and allowing them to spend more time there! This means somewhat throwing the traditional job-titles and laborious job-descriptions out of the window and utilising the right talents when and where they are needed. It also requires you to tap into the mind-banks that are your people... Encourage them to think and free them to act.
Kathy von Puttkammer, Luv Ya Work Consulting Pty Ltd
Leading The Revolution To Turn Work Into Play
www.luvyawork.com.au - 1300 576 254
(*According to studies conducted by Vedior Asia Pacific and Harvard Business School, and assuming 15.5% staff turnover based on the AIM National Salary Survey 2010.)
