Articles

Put the Human Back in Human Resources

It’s the question none of us ever want to hear…. Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Well, fellow CHROs and human resources leaders, here you go. If you want the good news first, you will be happy to hear that in Gallup’s most recent 2016 survey, employees are more satisfied overall than they were in the prior year. If you are really digging for good news you will be elated to know that workers are 76% satisfied with the safety of their workplace, up from 70% the prior year.

But now for the bad news and a special call to action for human resources professionals. Satisfaction is nice, but it really gets you nothing but smiling and complacent employees. So while I might be satisfied with the safety of my workplace and my employer’s contribution to my 401k, I’m unlikely to give more discretionary effort unless I am involved in and enthusiastic about my work and my workplace. Employees need to be more than satisfied. They need to be engaged. If they are, they’ll be more likely to show up, less likely to leave, and they will contribute at a high level.