The general trend followed in global corporations:

Competitive salary: The first and foremost thing is competitive salary.

Employee involvement: Creating job satisfaction by actively engaging the employee in decision-making and corporate communications. This way the employee feels that he/she is important to the organization.

Work-life balance: Understanding that employees are not slaves and they do have their lives and they have the right to enjoy their lives too. People work to live but not live to work. To reduce this, 2 continuous weeks of vacation every year is a must (no exceptions).

By knowing the life of employee by engaging in personal discussions once in a while, forms a bond with the employee (for managers). Working with the employee to come up with a work-life balance engagement (e.g.: working from home, 4*10s � every Friday off but 40 hours in 4 days instead of 5, flexi schedules etc). In USA, people value this lot.

Training: Keeping the employee competitive by mandatory training programs, seminars etc.

Semi-annual reviews: These reviews are not used in determining how good or bad an employee is but in working out a mutually agreed plan and goals for the employee to be successful for the organization. This way the expectations are very clear and employee will not be unhappy when the bonuses and raises show up. Also, publishing the formula for bonuses and raises (e.g.: number of goals * employee rating * % of company profit or something like that) is very much helpful.

Celebrations: Encouraging Group lunches, birthday lunches etc is very much useful in motivating the employees. These parties do not have to be expensive. Sometimes these are counted more than just giving them money or gift certificate.

Recognition: Acknowledging the performers � if someone does something extra or special he/she should be acknowledged in public � semi-annual performance awards.

Backups: Identifying critical employees and preparing backups for them (no exceptions) makes a lot to the employees.

Making it very clear to the employees that performance and ethics go hand-in-hand and any exceptions will not be tolerated. Also say that ignorance can be tolerated but not negligence. Its message should be clear � perform and get rewarded OR neglect and get fired.

tnx a lot Ram, will go through that...

thanks a lot for ur reply Ramesh...

good points... will keep in mind....


Diana

Hi Neil,

Thanks for the reply,

I have not visited this forum since long, thats the reason for delay in replying to your comment...

Well, we do have the practice of "exit interview" , but we do not always get the right answer... and also it varies from case to case, person to person... and what problems they face, many do not care to even share (since, any way they are leaving)...

How about those who have just left, with no intimation at all !? I am sure many have had this experience...

Hi Ashwin,

Thanks for your comment,

Yes, human is greedy by nature and he/she always strives for the best,

I am not talking about those who try changing everything related to them…I didn’t mean the “if” syndrome people… they always have an “if” which gives them a hope for something better in FURTURE…not NOW...

They think they will be happy “IF” :
… I change my qualification
… I get this job…(then they try to change their career…in hope of more satisfaction)
… I get married … then if I have kids…then if they grow…
… I change my residence….then change the city…
… goes on and on…

They are never satisfied/happy NOW!!! They wait for the uncertain TOMORROW…which they never see !

I have seen many who have stayed for more than 5 years in the same company, being very satisfied…WHY?

We forget that we, human beings, have “emotions” too…
There were many, who build up emotional bonds with the firm that they first started their career, with their colleagues, or maybe the management itself…they were not treated as employees, but family members…

And I believe in this bond very much, we need to build that relationship! Though it’s very rare, especially with the competitions going on in the market now days…

I was hoping to get some clues/suggestions on this ground… how to recongise the needs of a potential employee well before hand in order to satisfy them & build the bond…


Diana