In the post-pandemic times, there seems to be a decline in dedication among workers globally. Studies have shown, especially in the age of the Great Resignation, that dedication has fallen sharply in the workplace.
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In recent times, HRs and employees in Nigeria have taken to several social media platforms – especially on LinkedIn – to complain about the decline of dedication in the workplace.
In this article, I am addressing how employers can get more out of their employees. Here are four proven suggestions.
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Compensate
Compensation is a way to coax your employees to do more. According to Adam Galinsky, Columbia Business School professor, employers have a responsibility to provide two types of benefits for the employees. He stated that “The first is a sense of status and gratitude. The second is compensation, as a bonus.” Therefore if you want to get more from your employees, you must create a platform where they can be compensated.
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Be Respectful
Being respectful in this aspect does not mean showing reverence or honour to your employees, but letting them know when there is a need to extend workload expectations. There is often a clash of interest between employees and employers when it comes to workload expectations. Cases exist where employers ask employees without first discussing it with them or knowing how they feel about working an extra shift. Further, let’s take, for instance, you need more work to be done or you need to meet a deadline, which requires more hands-on-deck and more time to be given to it, yet your employees are done for the day, it is unwise to ask them to wait and work some extra hours. The best way is to make your employees identify with the company’s needs and see reasons why there is a need to work extra hours, which of course will be compensated. “If they identify with the company, and they’re facing an all-hands-on-deck situation, they’ll be more likely to pitch in during that emergency,” Galinsky says. You need to articulate your strategy and uphold a strong level of transparency. As an employer, you need to tell your employees why extra help is needed, how long you expect to need the additional work, and what steps you’re taking to reduce the need in the future.
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Provide Creative Incentives
Creative incentives can motivate workers to work more. The truth is that people need more money, and they are willing to work for it. Some companies have successfully applied this strategy in getting more out of their workers. A typical example is to increase pay across the board for those who work extra hours. For instance, you can pass a workplace decree to increase workers’ pay by 25 per cent if they work three extra hours per day or fifteen extra hours per week. You can give options of choice such as several hours and what percentage of pay raise it would attract. Further, surprise bonuses and other perks such as extra vacation days can also motivate employees and make them feel appreciated. However, be specific on how long this extra-work-extra-pay package is going to last. Ensure employees are clarified on this otherwise, it might lead to disappointment in the future. On this note, Professor Galinsky adds, “There’s so much research that shows that if you add in some type of financial benefit to people, and then you take that away, it’s far worse than ever adding it in the first place.”
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Create Workplace Flexibility
Creating workplace flexibility has been popularised as a way of increasing workers’ productivity or getting them to work more since the pandemic, and not just for salaried employees. Proffering easy-to-reschedule hours to shift employees can also boost their flexibility, which in turn can get them to work more. Create provisions for part-time, hourly workers, especially for employees who are parents. Rather than pushing for more hours, it is advisable to fix a flexible schedule for your employees.
Featured Image Source: CBS News
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This article was first published on 18th January 2022
nnaemeka-emmanuel
Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.
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