Happyworkersdothejob

FT EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS Employment Global Best Practice Friday February 26 2016 www.ft.com/reports | @ftreports Inside Younger staff want meaningful work Older workers relish volunteering opportunities, too Page 3 Rise in competition for best hires Falling working-age populations drive global mobility Page 6 Basic benefits are better received Tennis umpire uses unpaid leave scheme to officiate at Wimbledon Page 8 Time to manage the damage Stressful situations call for empathetic company leaders Page 8 Apps that tackle inbox overload Latest workplace technology made to avoid email’s failings Page 10 Illustration: Mario Wagner Happy workers do the job Freelance USA Americans embrace Employee satisfaction has a positive impact on productivity, but how to achieve it? Page 2 the gig economy Page 11 2 | FTReports FINANCIAL TIMES Friday 26 February 2016 FINANCIAL TIMES Friday 26 February 2016 FTReports | 3 Employment Global Best Practice Employment Global Best Practice Management Teamwork and collaboration are consistently linked to increases in innovation, writes Tim Smedley Workplace volunteering makes sound business sense When Mr Bulloch and his team practical terms? An inspiring mission Philanthropy were developing the programme, statementisnolongerenough. their research showed that it was the One way of engaging employees is There is more to most talented executives who were to offer them opportunities to volun- charitable efforts than interestedinit. teer while at work. And rather than Mr Bulloch is not alone in believing sending staff out to paint a school or serving in soup kitchens, thedesireforasenseofpurposemoti- serve in a soup kitchen, this increas- writes Sarah Murray vates both younger and more senior ingly means allowing executives to employees. “I do think it is longer use their skills to help non-profits or A “sense of meaning” was among the lasting,” says Nancy McGaw, deputy communityorganisations. top factors that respondents to the director of the Aspen Institute’sBusi- Ms Lawson advises companies to 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey said ness and Society Programme. “The involve staff from the earliest stages they used when assessing job oppor- millennialshavegivensomelanguage ofavolunteeringinitiative. tunities,excludingsalary. to it, but we’ve all wanted meaning in “A top-down directive isn’t the With only 16 per cent of respond- ourwork.” most effective way to engage them,” ents intending to be still with their Jenny Lawson agrees. “Millennials she says. ‘It’s about getting employee current employer in 10 years’ time, are just demanding the kind of work- support and input in designing pro- companies hoping to retain talented place we wanted all along but didn’t grammes.” workers are searching for ways to feel empowered enough to ask for,” In the long run, companies benefit, meetthisaspiration. says Ms Lawson, who is executive too.“Leadershiptraining,cross-team Thosebornbetween1981and1997, director of the Corporate Institute at activity, getting people out of their known as millennials, make more Points of Light, which helps compa- silos — all those skills come along than a third of the US workforce, nies develop employee volunteer when companies engage in volun- according to the Pew Research programmes. teering,”saysMsLawson. Center. Companies around the world Ms McGaw has seen this motiva- A growing number of business are looking for ways to attract and tion at work in the Aspen Institute’s leadersappeartohaverecognisedthe retainthem. First Movers Fellowship programme, value of this. Of the companies Some interpret younger workers’ which she founded in 2009. The pro- tracked by the Committee Encourag- response to this and other surveys as gramme helps executives find the ing Corporate Philanthropy, an Happy workplaces a youthful desire to change the world support and networks they need to organisation of chief executives, 51 that will fade with age and experi- implement ideas that promote social per cent made pro bono opportuni- ence. Since recession and rising prop- or environmental sustainability in ties available to their employees in erty prices have put wealth and asset theircompanies. 2014,upfrom40percentin2012. accumulation out of reach for many She argues that encouraging Butwhileskills-basedvolunteering are the building in this generation, pursuing meaning employees to pursue these projects is a powerful engagement tool, Ms may have become the necessary McGaw argues that companies will alternative. Nancy McGaw: needtodomore. ButGibBulloch,whountilrecently Millennials have “Corporate volunteering is just the headed Accenture Development given some tip of the iceberg,”she says. “We talk language to it, blocks of success Partnerships (ADP), a non-profit but we’ve all with people doing leadership devel- arm of the global consultancy, has wanted meaning opment and they’re looking for ways noticed a more fundamental shift in in our work to produce services and management the workplace. “There’s a change in practices that are designed to create ompanies with a reputa- One of the most comprehensive the company is very productive but Empowerment: chief executive strengthsintheteam.Helpingpeople model has become “an archetype”. company, has a flat management thezeitgeist,”hesays. helps companies attract and retain long-termvaluetosociety.” tion for strong employee studies on the topic is Gallup’s 2012 does not maintain satisfaction at Jorgen Vig Knudstorp sees feel like they are the future of the He adds: “The Netflix values include structure. Layers of management are TheADPprogrammeallowsexecu- the most talented employees, which This suggests that companies need engagement and creating research of 192 organisations in 49 work then in a few years perform- employee engagement as organisation and helping them do management that is about ‘context, effectively stripped out, leaving only tives to work overseas, mainly in ultimately benefits the business. to go beyond providing volunteering ahappyworkplacegener- industries and 34 countries, covering ancewilldrop.” vital to Lego’s success whattheydobest.” not control’, creating the right envi- the employees, a cadre of team lead- developing countries, on consulting “There’s an emerging understanding opportunities and making philan- C ate good publicity and 50,000 business units and 1.4m But many employers have yet to Martin Dam Kristensen/epa/Corbis Teamwork and collaboration are ronment that inspires people, that ers and the executive team. WL projects that help charities increase of the relationship between engage- thropic community investments. cachet for their chief executives. But employees. It found that business cottonon.Employeeengagementand consistently linked to increases in provides direction and transparency Gore’s 10,000-plus employees are theirefficiency. ment and purpose and profitability,” They may also have to examine the these companies are finding that divisions scoring in the top half of happiness at work is in decline. Sepa- innovation and discretionary effort, — as opposed to top-down decision divided into self-managing teams of Executives take a pay cut of up to shesays. natureofthebusinessitself. whatmakesagreatemployercanalso reported employee engagement had rate studies by the Conference Board, shaping how some companies now making, approvals processes and eight to 12 people who set their own 50% of their salary, which is paid by But if giving employees a sense of “This has to influence business leadtobusinesssuccess. nearly double the performance out- Gallup and Quantum Workplace think about reward packages. “You committees.” work and pay. Staff also to elect the Accenture, while charities pay ADP a purpose is good for business, what strategy,”says Mr Bulloch. “It’sabout In fact, the link between employee comes compared with those in the foundthatemployeeengagementhas must be very careful with reward and Lego,theDanishtoymanufacturer, company’schiefexecutive. feethatgoestowardsthiscost. does this mean for companies in balancingprofitwithpurpose.” attitudes and business performance bottomhalf. been falling for the past decade or bonuses,”says Mr Morieux, “because also credits employee empowerment What does this say, then, for the has been known for decades. A series The authors concluded: “Financial more. Mr Morieux attributes this to a if the bonus is very significant then as central to its success. The Lego future of managers? Yves Duhalde- of influential experiments from the performanceisbestviewedasadown- “proliferation of cumbersome proc- your goal becomes to earn the bonus. group chief executive, Jorgen Vig borde, director of organisational sur- 1930s,knownastheHawthornestud- stream outcome . Employees with esses, systems, scorecards, metrics, And then you will do everything you Knudstorp,iswidelyquotedassaying veys and insights at consultants Tow- Contributors ies, showed the impact of improved positive attitudes toward their work- meetings — what I call ‘complicated- can to earn the bonus, including hid- “blame is not for failure, it is for fail- ers Watson, argues that managers — workplace environments on overall place are likely to carry those atti- ness’. People spend between 40 per ing, exaggerating and why not cheat- ingtohelportoaskforhelp”. the ones that are left, at least — actu- Hannah Murphy Lesley Uren For advertising details, contact: factory outputs. One finding was that tudesovertocustomersandtoengage cent and 60 per cent of their time ing? These strong incentives are Mr Morieux says: “When you use ally become

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