May 2009 Management Minute
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
As we discussed last month, when an employee repeatedly feels underpaid, it may actually mean that they feel undervalued. In response to the true, underlying emotion, there are many ways the effective manager can address this real concern, other than any additional pay increase.
To address job satisfaction you should first explore job duties, qualifications, outside interests, and relationships with co-workers. Questions to ask both yourself and the employee include: Do the person’s job duties match the skills and interests of the employee? Do they have the potential to make a greater contribution by either (a) taking on more responsibilities or (b) by relinquishing some duties to better focus on fewer responsibilities? Does this person have good ideas that the company is not listening to or making any effort to incorporate? Do they get along well with their co-workers or is their unresolved conflict? And if they do get along well, are they a team leader or simply a good team mate?
If one or more of the above questions gives you less than satisfactory answers and this is truly an employee worth fighting for, you need to be willing to uncover what it will take to make this person feel more at home and valued in the organization. If employees feel fulfilled in their job; if they feel they are ‘doing what they were designed to do’ during the work day; if they feel their company values what they do and who they are; if they do not feel limited in their potential; if they feel they are part of a productive, responsive, inclusive, and dynamic team; they will have little reason to ever look elsewhere for ‘greener pastures’, and it will be very difficult for another employer to steal—or even buy—them away from you.
For more information, contact Chris at 785-532-1672 or cdr3@ksu.edu.
