Peter’s principle goes like this: “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence.” In other words, when an employee demonstrates high skills, he is often promised the position of superior. For example, the best operator in the line will become the supervisor or the best salesperson, the sales manager. Yet in this new position, the employee is not making the most of his skills.
To remedy the situation, it is important to offer career development alternatives and seek other ways of recognizing the individual. Large companies like Microsoft and Google have been able to remedy the situation. Now, getting promoted no longer means managing a bigger team. An employee can choose to develop as a contributor ranging from junior, senior, expert and mentor. This is an opportunity to involve them in your continuous improvement process, for example by inviting them to analyze the ideas collected by their peers.
This new path allows you to retain your talents by offering an alternative to traditional promotion, knowing that not all employees are interested or efficient in managing a team.
Beyond having a fair salary, an employee wants to be appreciated, to learn continuously and to identify opportunities to grow in the current organization. Engaging and retaining employees requires understanding individual motivations and being able to take action. There are two angles to mobilization: the desire to go towards something (the carrot) or to avoid something (the stick). The business leader must know how to differentiate the two and implement actions for both.
Going towards something means setting up favorable conditions for personal development such as the acquisition of new skills. The leader must develop his interpersonal skills, listen to and empathize with his colleagues in order to identify these growth opportunities. The leader must find a way to connect on a daily basis with his colleagues to feel the added value that they bring with their talent. For example, what are the contributions that Paul wants to make to the company, what skills Marie would like to develop to make a difference in the team?
Avoiding something means putting in place strategies to reduce burnout, absenteeism or operational irritants. Here again, the leader must connect on a daily basis with his team in order to understand the discomforts and find the right solutions. For example, does Charles need any help or what would make Sara’s job easier?
The relationship between an employee and their manager is the relationship that has the most impact on employee retention. Micromanagement is a style of leadership at the heart of a bad relationship. Employees lose confidence in their means and have difficulty performing the tasks required by their position.
Employees are scarce. Those you can hire will not have all the skills you want when you hire them. We have to train them, continuously and intelligently.
Engagement at work is often summed up by completing engagement surveys. These surveys are used to calculate on a regular basis (annual, monthly or daily) the level of employee engagement. However, after taking the pulse of employees, these tools offer few avenues to improve the current situation.
Climbing wall, gym, skateboard track … several companies have set out to provide incredible workspace for their employees. Yet, beyond the workspace, recognition and gratitude in the workplace are much more important for engaging staff. With telecommuting, these opportunities are more important than ever for breaking isolation, managing stress and creating a sense of belonging.
