I came across this Maslow’s Heirachy of Needs as it relates to employee engagement (if I knew where it came from I would certainly give credit where credit is due). I have always thought that Maslow was a smart guy and his human insight on needs was pretty accurate.
Just in case you’ve been living out of touch the last sixty years here is his original concept which I found on Simply Psychology. Achieving one’s full potential with your eye on the career ball is certainly the most import thing in our lives UNTIL our house burns down and then career advancement doesn’t seem all that important, at least for the interim.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 1943
Recently I was reading a blog post concerning employee satisfaction and it made me think about what it takes to really make sure that employees feel engaged enough to stay. The post, 4 Biggest Culprits for Employee Disengagement indicates that these are the top areas where employers should focus:
- Appreciation for the employee’s work
- Ensuring opportunity for career advancement
- Allowing and encouraging autonomy
- Clear, Sensible, relate-able company values
We all know what having employees hanging out in the survival and security areas from the pyramids above feels like to the organization. Not to mention how quickly that negative company culture spreads. It is in our best interests to move our valued employees through belonging, importance and in to self actualization where they become a positive, long lasting, influence at the office. Employees who are highly engaged and have reached the self actualization phase, as an added bonus, motive and encourage others around them.
Practicing strong communication skills, making sure to acknowledge a job well done and showing appreciation for the employee’s ideas, participation and contribution to the organization brings a lot of value to the overall business. Valued employees stay and they encourage others to stay too.
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