Beyond the Paycheck: What do employees look for in a job?

And, you thought a job was always about the money. Didn’t you?

So, what really exists beyond the paycheck?

Umm…a bigger paycheck?

Kidding.

Our work having some meaning is what exists beyond the paycheck. Our life isn’t a whole lot of fun if our work is devoid of any meaning and just serves as a means of sustenance.

It’s not that I’ve done any survey but I can say with reasonable confidence that our days feel much brighter and our veins witness an incredible surge of positive energy when we are connected with what we do. Limits of time cease to exist and we remain upbeat even after putting insane number of hours at work.

“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1990, p. 3)

Digressing, if you haven’t read “Flow” by Mihaly then please stop reading this article now and go buy that book.

Okay, may be not so fast.

While you are here, why don’t you finish reading what I have to say and then may be can buy a copy. Will ya? Please! It’s incredibly profound and you would thank me for suggesting it.

So, where was I?

Being connected with what we do getting us into a hyperdrive mode of Serotonin. It’s no wonder satisfaction at work is by far the #1 factor of happiness for most individuals. May be, that’s the reason why all of us look for that elusive job where everything would be picture perfect.

So, what does an employee look for in that elusive perfect job?

From my perspective, there are 4 core pillars of that perfect job — what kind of work we do, how do we get that work accomplished, whom do we do the work with and how much we get paid for it. As long as these pillars are in somewhat of a harmony and balance, our worlds are perfect.

When there is a balance, the sun looks bright, you hear the birds sing in the morning, the days fly by in seconds, the moonlight amaze us and our relatives seem nice to us.

Okay, may be, not the last one.

One starts looking for a new opportunity even if a pillar gets disproportionately out of whack. People leave an organization when they perceive the loss of this balance and give various reasons like — I don’t think I’m growing anymore or my work has become extremely monotonous(what kind of work we do), I don’t have any freedom to get my ideas across(how do we get the work done), I hardly get any feedback from my peers or I think they are jerks(whom we work with).

So, what can organizations do to make sure that these core pillars remain intact for their employees -

Align work with their potential ( what kind of work we do ).

It’s common wisdom that right people doing the right things makes an organization a great place to work. So, how do you make that happen? Something they would enjoy and find a little challenging.

Keeping an eye of their comfort or mastery or the proverbial “getting into one’s comfort zone” at the current level becomes really important. Getting into one’s comfort zone or doing insipid work leads to discontentment. Thus, one should start a dialogue early enough to make sure that one is groomed to take on challenges for the next level, which brings me to my second point in the list.

A good career path ( what kind of work we do ).

Duh! Who wouldn’t have figured that out? How do you make sure they are always challenged and are getting ready to perform at a higher level?

By constantly investing in their growth. This means working with them very closely, getting a sense of what they want and how they can grow. This means constant check-ins with them regarding the progress they are making and giving them loads of feedback. It also means putting them in situations where they would have to build or use very different kind of professional muscle.

I also know it’s easier said than done. We all have been the victims of “the grind”. Sometimes, there is way too much to be accomplished in too little time and one loses focus to develop the career path of one’s team members but one needs to make a conscious effort to keep the dialogue going.

Stunning Colleagues ( whom we work with ).

As the common saying goes, A players want to work with other A players. Thus, it’s an employer’s job to make sure that it follows top notch hiring practices to hire the best talent from the market. It’s such an amazing feeling to be surrounded by the best in their field and see them do their magic everyday. Just being around people who are good at their jobs have an uplifting effect on one’s performance and the overall mood of the organization.

Autonomy ( how work gets accomplished ).

Are your employees empowered to make decisions that impact their work? Can they decide how their work should be done? Do they have flexibility in their work schedules? Do they recognize their own team members for exceptional contributions at work? Can they provide feedback on the overall direction of the company? The list could be endless and mean different things to different companies. But, in a nutshell, it’s giving them the trust and freedom to do what they do best and not stifling them with the bureaucratic chains.

Transparency ( how work gets accomplished ).

Can anyone see in the dark?

Okay, let me tell you the answer. If you were the legendary archer, Arjuna, you could but for other mere mortals like us, we need to see the light.

We need the transparency to know how our work contributes to the overall meaning of the organization or understanding the rationale of the management decisions or knowing where the company as a whole is headed. Again, the list could be endless but transparency means having more or less everyone have the same amount of information. It not only cuts down the grape vine but also promotes a feeling of oneness within the company. That we sink or swim, we are in it together. This could easily be achieved by hosting frequent company updates or letting the entire company know about key decisions.

BTW, if you want all of these attributes above then there is always a job waiting for you at Quovantis. For as long as you are willing to look at the paycheck and beyond with the same fervor :)