Manifesto: Five Tenets for Constructing a Great Workplace

Manifesto: Five Tenets for Constructing a Great Workplace

 

Holidays give you to the time to reflect. So, sitting in the sun in Crete having just read Tony Blair’s memoirs, gave me the impetus to write a manifesto for a great workplace. We spend much of our time in the world of work. How do we construct a workplace that gives both job satisfaction and business success?

 

So here are my five tenets: 

1. Alignment to mission and purpose.

When thinking about this first tenet, I was inclined to put mission first. I was wrong. It’s all about purpose.

At 10Eighty we strive to make the world of work a better place. The mission may be to create shareholder value, maximise profits, or create a sustainable business, but all count for nothing if the organisation doesn’t impact the community it serves in a positive way. It’s all about doing good and making a difference.

 

2. Trust.

Being trusted and trusting. The latter is about trusting your people to make the right decisions.

Of course, this is very closely aligned to tenet number one, trusting they will make decisions that are in the interests of those they serve. The great news is that trust leads to empowerment which in turns leads to engagement. Employee engagement creates innovation, productivity and loyalty, all of which lead to a sustainable business.

 

3. Development.

Employees want to develop, grow and learn. Our partners at Fuel 50 recently published research to show that quarterly career conversations has increased from 8% to 63% since 2019. This means we are moving in the right direction.

All too often organisations have resorted to performance management as a ‘stick’, not a ‘carrot’, to increase performance. This is completely the wrong thinking. I never heard a manager saying they look forward to these conversations. We should abolish performance reviews. Carrots always work better than sticks to increase motivation.

Furthermore, focus on strengths not weaknesses. In order to do that you need to have career conversations. Further, at the risk of offending the Learning and Development community, you – the organisation – do not know best when it comes to employee development.

 

4. Voice: being listened to.

I have always held the view that the people doing the job know best. You just have to ask them and they will tell you how to improve, how to make things more efficient, etc.

I well recall coaching a very senior investment professional and asking him at the conclusion of the programme what he had learnt only to be staggered by his observations, to get out my office, and engage with my people. Just ask about them!

 

5. Reward and recognition.

Let’s start with the easy part. Recognition. Thanking people for the contribution. I make a rule when getting off trains to thank the guard. It’s a basic need to feel appreciated.

Remuneration is more tricky. It should be fair, reflecting contribution. That said, given the transfer fees and wages paid to Premier League footballers, say, compared to those delivering social care for our elderly, it is nigh impossible to hold to the rule of being fair. Market forces determine what we are prepared to pay. In the end, you need to put your hand on your heart and ask yourself: are you being fair to your people?

 

So, what’s the final message of this manifesto?

It’s all about designing jobs around the people.

The great news about an era where the intellectual capital is held in the heads of the employee, we are consigning scientific management and applying people to the process to the dustbin of industrial history.

 

At 10Eighty, I believe in practicing what we preach.

For example, with annual leave, the amount taken and when are not monitored, we trust the team to get the job done and ensure colleagues know where they are. Not a problem. I remain fascinated by those titans of business who demand their people to return to the office citing collaboration, idea generation, and culture as prerequisites when we know it’s all about trust.

If you can see them, you don’t know what they are doing. It’s a little like learning to swim; at some point you have to take your feet off the bottom of the swimming pool. Trust and empower your people. They will do the right thing.

So purpose, trust, development, having a voice and lastly recognition are key to job satisfaction for employees and business success for the organisation. My rallying call to leaders is to embrace these five tenets.