Celebrating moments of inspiration: the secret key to employee motivation
Most high performers now function in a world where the prestige of working with top firms isn’t out of their grasp. With the ability to score high-paying positions in companies that have stood the test of time, employees now look beyond the brand name and salary packages, and pick a seemingly intangible value over other, more measurable ones, while making their decision to join: organisational culture. Culture, in its most basic definition, is a reflection of the way things are run in an organisation, and this information comes to employees through brand advocates.
It goes without saying that happy and engaged employees spread positive anecdotes about the organisations they work for, while disengaged, stressed and unhappy employees only highlight their lowest moments when speaking to others. As most companies would certainly prefer the former, it becomes vital now more than ever to establish a strong employee value proposition (EVP) that creates the moments of inspiration in the employee’s journey. One of the proven ways to bring EVP to life is a research based ‘Make Every Moment Count’ framework. Furthermore, a fantastic, human centric employee experience also leads to high business performance.
WHAT MAKES EVP RELEVANT TO AN ORGANISATION’?
EVP is the answer to why should a talented; in demand candidate choose to work for your company. While archaic HR practices may strive to create a great experience for talent through episodic engagement activities, EVP strategy help turn the same into a reali t y by c r e a t i ng i nspi r i ng moments that contribute to the larger picture of an employee’s journey, rather than just focusing on the occasional team party!
Of course, EVP isn’t just about ‘making employees happy’. A successful EVP strategy can help leaders meet various business goals, such as inspiring employees to do amazing work, retaining top talent for longer periods, attracting talent that shares your passion and values towards work, and finally, offering great experience to your clients by default. So, if you think that the Make Every Moment Count strategy was born out of a need to only make employees feel emotionally content in the workplace, think again!
MAKE EVERY MOMENT COUNT: WHAT ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT? Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. During these key plot points in a story, the protagonist is introduced, offered a chance for growth, and t hen off ered a reward or a redemption arc! Similar to the structure of a good story, the Make Every Moment Count f r amework l ooks at 5 key moments in an employee’s journey: Decision Day, First Day, Every Day, Achievement Day, and Referral Day, to make their experience even better.
THE DECISION DAY
The Decision Day refers to the day an employee chooses to join your organisation. On this day, it is absolutely crucial for new employees to feel confident of fitting into the culture and people. A great way to establish a sense of fitting in is by showing new employees how their individual traits align with the values of the organisation. This taps into the concept of the Idiosyncratic fit, a principle of behavioural economics, wherein employees feel they have an advantage over their peers and are, therefore, more motivated to perform better. In fact, employees that fit in with their organisations are 9x more committed and 6x more loyal than others.
THE FIRST DAY
The First Day refers to their first day on the job. Establishing an on-boarding or training program can be a great way to help new hires feel engaged and motivated. In fact, based on research conducted by BI WORLDWIDE, employees that receive training are 14% more likely to be happy at work, 16% more likely to be committed and 14% more likely to work harder. Actions like sending welcome messages from managers or leadership can inspire new hires and make them feel like they are a part of the team.
EVERY DAY
Engaging employees Every Day is crucial, especially for leaders who expect high performance overall. This is because the talent you value is 31% less likely to leave if they feel engaged and happy, while 24% will be more willing to put in extra effort. Actions like recognising positive behavior, offering learning challenges that validate their knowledge, and calling out great performance are a few ways to keep employees engaged every day.
ACHIEVEMENT DAY Achievement Day refers to special days set aside for recognising high performance, larger milestones like Service Anniversaries etc.
The public recognition offered on this day functions as a great tool for extrinsic motivation, making all the other employees work harder to achieve the hit of dopamine that comes with public validation!
THE REFERRAL DAY
The Referral Day not only helps your organisation attract top talent by allowing your best performers to tap into their social circle, it also functions as a great PR moment for your company, with employees highlighting why their peers should apply for open positions. With t his, your employees are transformed into active brand ambassadors! Knowing that 70% of the knowledge a prospective applicant gains about a company is before the first interview, this is an incredibly important engagement moment.
MAKING EVERY MOMENT COUNT!
Today’s workforce couldn’t be more diverse to the workforce that entered the market 20 years ago. Millennials place a strong focus on gaining meaningful experiences, and for most employees belonging to this demographic, the expectation of great experiences bleeds into their work as well. With the Make Every Moment Count framework, employers can optimise their employee’s experiences in the workplace and make them feel valued at every step of the way, leading to a stronger connection with the organisation as a whole, and a huge reason to stay on for longer periods of time. By doing so, you not only solve the ever-growing problem of high attrition, you also answer the age old question of how one can get employees more engaged with the values and growth of the organisation!