The need to feel pride in what we do for a livingIt’s one of my consistent themes that people want to feel proud of the work they do. We spend a lot of time in work and give a lot of energy to it. If we don’t feel good about it we don’t feel good about ourselves. There’s a very interesting interview with an employee of Anglo Irish Bank in today’s Irish Times around this theme titled 'They'd lie rather than admit they work for Anglo'. The unnamed employee talks about the problem of being associated with a brand like Anglo. Once people were proud of working there; they now hide the fact if at all possible. The employee is quoted as saying that people would prefer to get wet rather than be seen using an Anglo branded umbrella. So how do we motivate employees to feel proud of what they do especially when the environment is tough and our companies may be facing difficult times? First and foremost I believe, is a strong sense of purpose (and that purpose has got to be about more than simply making money). Why do you think so many non-profits thrive against the odds? They are totally centered on their purpose for being. Secondly is the way in which we in the business go about achieving that purpose. Do we do it in a way which is fair and decent, taking account of the needs of the various stakeholders in the business? The article gives us something else to consider and it’s around communication. The Anglo staffer comments that they were learning things about the company they worked for from the media rather than from management. While he (or she) acknowledges that government ownership has probably meant that management are taking their cue from government departments and are very wary of leaks, he says that it has worsened morale in a situation where it was very badly dented anyway. So this seems to say to us that even when the news is bad it’s better to give clear and timely information to staff to help them process and deal with the bad news in a way that at least makes them feel their organisation is trying to deal with things well. That can be counterintuitive when as a manager you’re in a crisis situation and may need to think quickly about the impact of any announcements you make. But it does say that timely communication is key to maintaining morale and pride. Add a CommentYour comment will appear once it has been approved. |