So, we had our third and final in-depth interview last night between the two remaining candidates.  We have less than three weeks of due diligence left to do research, listen to the advice of our friends, neighbors, and talking heads, and review the results of this 22 month selection process.

And then on November 4th, we get to make our choice.  And we’ll be living with that choice for the rest of our lives.  As will our kids.  And their kids.

Choose carefully and wisely, but choose

Anyways…

This is the Soft Stuff?

A former Harvard Business School Professor studied nearly 30 firms firms across more than 15 industries in 15 countries. He determined that firms scoring in the top 20% of his sample for “commitment, enthusiasm and respect” (his words) financially outperformed the other companies by almost two-thirds (63%).

Why is this called the “soft stuff”.  We’re talking cold hard cash.

Making Green with Green

Texas State University researchers discovered that employers can increase employee satisfaction by making simple environmental changes inside the offices, like planting green plants. The research indicated that people who worked in offices with plants and windows reported that they felt better about their job and the work they performed; employees who worked with offices with live plants actually rated their job satisfaction higher.

Gives a whole new meaning to “money tree”.

Measuring Wrong in the UK

According to the 2008 Return on Pension Expenditure survey by Alexander Forbes Financial Services, eight in ten workers state a pension is important. The survey also found that benefits are important in recruiting staff, with three-quarters of employees citing a good pension as important when considering a new job, up from 68% the year before. However 38% of employers say they are unclear about whether their pension is appreciated by staff or is effective in recruitment and retention.

Although this article is about employers in the UK, the concept works here as well.  OF COURSE EMPLOYEES APPRECIATE A PENSION, A CONTRIBUTION TO THEIR 401K, BONUSES, AND HIGH PAY.  OF COURSE A GREAT COMPENSATION PACKAGE IMPACTS APPLICANT RECRUITING AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION.

Did you see that, I used CAPS.  That means I meant it.  A lot.  HOWEVER…

It is significantly better for employees to stay because they want to than for them to stay because they have to.  An employee who feels obligated to stay, or worse yet, feels trapped in their job with no choice but to stay, will in fact remain with their organization.  And for those companies who view employee satisfaction and engagement through the single lens of turnover, all is good.

Ignorance is bliss.  Except in business.

Employees that are trapped in their job, 25% in the latest 2008-09 Employee Hold’em National Workforce Engagement Assessment Benchmark, stay because they feel they have no other choice.  Lack of skills, lack of jobs, or golden handcuffs force people to stay in their jobs longer than they would like.  Retention stays, but customer service, going “above and beyond” the call of duty, being highly motivated to work hard, and recommending the organization as a great place to buy from and a great place to work flies out the window.

Ignorance isn’t so blissful, is it?