Human life expectancy impacts employee engagement. Who knew?
The statistics vary based on the source, but basically we live in a time when the average world human life expectancy has doubled in only the last 100-120 years.
Before that, it was capped at about 20-30 years, for centuries.
So, humans are living longer. Knowing this, no matter what age we are, as we look ahead expecting a long life, i.e. work-life, we as humans will be expecting more than simply the ability to put food on the table, pay the bills or earn a pension.
(By the way, we're staying in the workforce longer too. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans ages 65 and older are working or looking for jobs -- the highest in almost half a century* -- making this an even more pressing issue.)
We grow. We want more.
It's as basic as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs or any other model of human development. The more we develop, the more we seek to meet higher level needs.
As a manager of people, you my be overdue
for a checkup regarding human needs. Look at your work culture, your assumptions about leading people and your management style. We need to look at ways you can be supportive of how employee needs are evolving because human beings are living longer. In fact, addressing this can create an exciting competitive advantage -- by addressing higher level needs you can likely boost
engagement, performance and retention.
The situation on engagement.
Too many employees are not getting their needs met. You've heard me go on about Gallup's data, but just in case… 70% of U.S. workers are either not engaged in their work or are actively disengaged. Gallup's study indicates managers have a significant impact in this area.
That's good
news because it means managers are also contributing to the thirty percent of employees who are engaged and inspired at work.
How do you address this in the workplace?
Are you contributing to the 70% or the 30%? Let's look at how you can create
an environment that allows organization members to be engaged, and presumably get higher level needs met. I'm talking about needs like appreciation, belonging, and the need to attach a higher purpose to their contribution.
According to the Gallup, here's what employees need from you. They need to:
- Know what is expected of them.
- Have the tools to do the job right.
- Have the opportunity to do their best every day.
- Believe their opinions matter, and
- Have opportunities to learn and grow.
Just pick one, and see how
you can apply it today, then consistently.
*Los Angles Times, Sept. 4, 2012
Image: iStockphoto contributor, jaroon
