Recognition
Creating 'meaning-full' workplacesHiring staff and coordinating training is all in a day's work for many human resources (HR) professionals. But they can also make a difference by ensuring their company lives up to its mission statement, helping employees find meaning in their work and being a good role model. LINDA WHITE |
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 [ 2007-01-24 ] |
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That's the message Dr. Alex Pattakos -- known as "Dr. Meaning" -- will share at the annual conference and trade show hosted by the Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPAO) this month.
"You walk into some workplaces and it's like a scene from Sixth Sense: 'I see dead people,'" Pattakos says. On the flip side, some companies work too hard at having a good time, often letting productivity slip. But a "meaning-full" workplace will unleash human potential while promoting health and wellness and driving organizational performance, he says.
"It's not enough to get employees to become fully engaged in their work ... They need to believe that what they do really matters, that they are respected and feel some sense of enjoyment coming to work," says Pattakos, founder and managing director of the Center for Personal Meaning in New Mexico and author of Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles at Work.
So where do you begin? By determining how you, as an HR professional, can find deeper meaning in what you do -- both professionally and personally. Once you've done that, you can begin practising those principles within your organization.
"People do have an intrinsic motivation to want to make a difference," Pattakos says. A regular paycheque and job security are important motivators, but add meaning to your work and passion will follow, he believes.
Understanding an organization's values -- often described in its mission statement -- is a key starting point. Identify procedures and policies that don't align with those values. If corporate social responsibility is important, for example, it's not enough to hold an annual food and toy drive. If you want to be an innovator, don't continually shoot employees' ideas down. If customer service is a priority, don't make patrons jump through hoops when returning an item.
"It has to be an authentic commitment. Document that you are committing to these goals," Pattakos says. "Involve people from the highest level to entry level. You have to walk the talk. You have to translate (your commitment) into policies, rewards and recognition, recruitment and communications. Otherwise, you're simply saying a word."
The HR professional needs to a role model, facilitator and receptor, Pattakos says. "Through performance appraisals, coaching and mentoring, you can find out how an employee can find deeper meaning in their work and personal life ... If you don't feel what you're doing matters, that can block you and lock you away from your potential."
Allow your employees to reach their potential and you'll reap the rewards, Pattakos believes. He points to an American company that gives every employee 30 days of paid leave to do volunteer work each year. Many took advantage of that to lend a helping hand following Hurricane Katrina.
"Because of the connection between the company and a higher purpose ... employees have become so passionate and so proud of their employer. When they're working, they are working at 110%, even if they don't know it."
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