The Smoke and Mirrors of Great Place to Work Initiatives

I was talking with Dr. Tony Zeiss, author of Get’em While They’re Hot: How to Attract, Develop, and Retain Peak Performers in the Coming Labor Shortage (thanks to the 1800CEOREAD blog for turning me on to the book). Dr. Zeiss is also President of Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina (the largest college in NC). Interesting guy....

Dr. Zeiss is up in arms about the coming labor shortage and wants to issue a wake up call to American Companies. He says we are facing the greatest labor shortage in the history of America. 10 million worker shortage by 2011 and also a skills shortage with many people with obsolete skills.

One of the suggestions he has for attracting and retaining talent is to build a great reputation as a great place to work.

That got me thinking about how companies become great places to work. The reality runs the gamut:

1. There are a few companies that really “get it” when it comes to being a great place to work.

2. There are many companies that have no real interest in being a great place to work.

3. There are many companies that say they want to be a great place to work but it is largely lip service.

And there are companies between these extremes. Most companies have their plusses and minuses and few are awful. But if Dr. Zeiss is right, this will not be good enough as the worker shortage widens.

Most of the companies I have worked for have been #2s or #3s. I have never worked for a company that really “got it.” Many start off with good intentions, but then the reality sets in. They want to be able to say they are making this a great place to work, but are either uninterested or unwilling to take the steps that will affect the way people feel about their jobs and the company. There’s always some low hanging fruit that does not require resources or a change in management’s behavior that gets through OK, but as soon as the real meaty stuff comes up, the initiatives die.

You see, for many companies, a paradigm shift needs to occur. Their practices and assumptions are so out of date (some with a fresh coat of Buzz Words, but little substantive change).

If being a GPTW will be competitive necessity, I wonder what the tipping point will be that facilitates more companies making choices they have been previously unwilling to entertain? My guess is that changing the context will play a large role.

What will a great place to work look and feel like in 10 years? Since education, healthcare, and law enforcement are leading the labor shortage - how will these industries need to change to compete for talent? Who will want to do these jobs? How will that change our taxes, health premiums, and services?

Perhaps we need to help CFOs and HR professionals get together and understand the compelling ROI numbers. They should study and visit companies that are truly great places to work AND making money hand over fist AND retaining their best people.

I think the toughest person at the executive staff meeting is going to need to be the HR professional. To help the company get beyond the smoke and mirrors of GPTW initiatives, he or she is going to need to be resolute, uncommonly creative, a master relationship builder, clear, passionate, and steel tough.

What's it like where you work? What does great place to work mean for you?

Comments

[AG]

GPTW..well as of Friday I'm leaving my job because I believe, though this company has appeared to make positive steps towards being a GPTW, they immediately kill it with some new policy which makes it a GPTL (Great Place To Leave) It's like being in a boat rocking back and forth. It'll never change until companies begin to remember was SERVICE is all about. They probably won't remember until we the customer or employee demands it...not from them but by leaving them and going to work for a company who is actually doing it and has word-of-mouth confirming it.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Good luck to you. I think you are right. Until companies can no longer get customers or good employees, many will not feel compelled to change their ways. Some companies can and will change, and we can try to help facilitate their progress, but when we try several ways and fail, there comes a point where the one who does not belong is US. I think the tide is changing and the crummy companies will begin to feel the heat because no one will work there.

To some degree, there is also an "eye of the beholder" thing going on. A company that is a great fit for some will seem like drudgery to others. Having said this, I think there are some fairly universal qualities of a great place to work.

[Tim Stanley]

Good ideas Lisa. However, a great place to work is hard to find today. There are several factors that cause companies to create a poor workplace. Firstly, employment insecurity. Too many companies are outsoucing, downsizing, rightsizing, and reorganizing all the time. If an employee doesn't feel that the job will be around in a year, it is hard to feel good about working. Secondly, training budgets have been cut in many organizations. So, employees are not being trained properly for the changes in operations. Conclusion: Good management will encouage all personnel and promote a workplace where internal growth and continued progress is job number one.

[Lauren]

For those of us not brave or experienced enough to run our own enterprises, we seek a fabulous employer who will challenge us and appreciate our toils. Third time lucky: After World Savings and Northrop Grumman proved to be mediocre in their operations and management, I was very fortunate to find Tecolote Research. It was worth relocating from the LA area to the Ventura/Santa Barbara area to take the position. The bosses really know how to motivate by example and thank their subordinates for even the little jobs well done. The atmosphere is no-nonsense, ethical, and often times just plain fun. They take care of our medical and put generous funds aside for our future retirement. Any company that builds itself upon the backs of its employees but only pays them a salary today and doesn't plan for sharing in tomorrow is ripping you off. I hope American companies will realize that no matter how humble the job, all employees have earned a piece of the action. The growth of the company should be shared by all, to an extent.