I find it interesting to see what Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For offer their employees. This year’s diverse list ranges from Genentech at #1, Whole Foods Market, Sherwin-Williams and Nike at #100.
Check it out at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/full_list/
Michael McColgin
Conservation Officer
Arizona State Archives
From: Archives &
Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 7:12
AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Improving staff
morale
Regarding psychic benefits, employee morale, and motivation, here's a link to a useful HR site with links to MANY different articles about managing people:
http://humanresources.about.com/od/motivationrewardretention/ . Some good stuff there.
And here are a few more links which discuss group dynamics which can affect morale positively or negatively within the workplace:
1. I mentioned in my first posting the challenges of managing people in different functions. From an article posted on the website of a CPA firm, interesting observations on two managers trying to sort out differences between their respective functions:
2. A dissertation focused on educators includes some interesting statistics and observations:
And finally, a few more thoughts from Maarja off the top of her head: I keep emphasizing the importance of recognizing differences and figuring out what makes employees tick. Some people are introverts, others are extroverts. Myers Briggs testing is useful in sorting out some of this. Some people are comfortable with top down management and a sense of order and control where everyone knows his or her place. Others thrive in situations which may seem chaotic to those who like order. And do best in an environment with a flat structure and few boundaries and lots of opportunities for creative brainstorming.
There are no one size fits all solutions to offering psychic benefits. Figure out who likes what and offer opportunities for as many types of people as you can. Try to avoid force fits. For example, a chance to write an article for an internal organizational newsletter about one's function might help an introvert shine. A chance to talk about one's function before a large group would better suit an extrovert. This can get tricky, BTW. Keep in mind that some people work in functions for which they have less natural aptitude than their peers. They may have to wear masks and to adopt conventions and rituals that are not natural to them. Look for ways to give them a break from that, to let them be themselves just a little bit from time to time but still succeed professionally!
And finally, there is the challenge of motivating people of different generations. A great book for this is WHEN GENERATIONS COLLIDE. See
or
Maarja
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