Article of the Week
In a recent New York Times article by Tony Schwartz, he provided valuable commentary on sustaining high job performance from employees.
One Minute Summary
Countless leaders and managers are up at night thinking about how to drive sustainable high performance in an era of relentlessly rising demand. The vast majority of salaried employees are already putting in more hours and paying a price that they find less and less acceptable; being exhausted and overwhelmed.
What is the win-win solution for employees and employers? Most companies invest in building the skills of their employees, but few of them systematically invest in building people’s capacity to perform at their best. We feel at our best when four core energy needs are met: sufficient rest; feeling valued and appreciated; having the freedom to focus in an absorbed way on the highest priorities; and feeling connected to a mission or a cause greater than ourselves. More than 20,000 employees around the world were studied to confirm how powerful this can be.
Employees who took intermittent breaks throughout the day reported 28% better focus and a 30% higher level of health and well-being. Feeling treated with respect made employees feel 55% more engaged and 110% more likely to stay at the company. Employees who felt the most recognized and appreciated were 100% more likely to stay with their organizations.
Only one-fifth said they were consistently able to focus on one thing at a time at work, but those who did reported that they were 29% more engaged at work – and far more productive during the day.
Seek to meet the basic needs of employees, and they will bring vastly more of their potential and productivity to the job every day.
Why We Care
The goal of Pete Fowler Construction Services since its' inception was to do AWESOME work, but not have to beat the hell out of everyone to get it. All employees want to feel appreciated and that they are an important piece of the puzzle. Providing tools to complete our tasks is important, but providing respect and appreciation is vital and is the foundation of PFCS.
