RESPOND TO WHAT STUDENT WROTE ABOUT AS YOU TWO WERE HAVING A DISCUSSION IN PERSON. ALL WORK MUST BE ORIGINAL AND NO PLAGIARISM
Unit 3 Discussion
It’s reported that 46% of US employers have problems filling jobs due to lack of talent, mainly due to low unemployment rates and shorter skill cycles (PRNewswire, 2016). Employers are reporting that their inability to fill roles is due to a lack of applicants’ inexperience, lack of technical competencies and candidates expecting more pay than offered (PRNewswire, 2016). Not only do low unemployment rates and shorter skill cycles result in talent shortage, but declining birth rates results in less younger workers; however, technology helps curb the lack of talent (Miller & Chandra, 2015). With globalization, companies can now recruit top talent worldwide, however, this also doesn’t solve completely for the talent shortage as countries other than the US are also experiencing the same talent shortages (Miller & Chandra, 2015). There are numerous internal factors that result in worldwide talent shortages as well, such as: lack of company loyalty, the need for challenging work, the need for independence, the need to be rewarded based upon performance, the need for recognition, the need for a variety of benefits, the opportunity to learn new skills, to have the ability to develop their career, the need to work for a company with a good reputation, good compensation, a supportive work environment, and the ability to establish an acceptable work/life balance (Phillips & Edwards, 2009). These internal factors can all be handled by engaging employees.
One of the most important factors to keep top talent is to make sure companies focus on their people by having a happy culture (Lawrence, 2016). Companies can create a happier culture by staying firm on their standards, while remaining flexible on the execution aspect; invest in leadership and training; promote future leaders by allowing employees the ability to share their knowledge with others; provide feedback and rewards for a job well done; use the diversity of each employee as a resource (Lawrence, 2016).
As Jim Harris (2006) states in his video Five Principles of Employee Engagement, companies need to capture the heart, have open communication, create partnerships, drive learning, and emancipate action (2006). These five principles also aid in employee engagement by providing employees with a purpose, a standard mission, and a fun-filled environment (Harris, 2006). Communication needs to be open and not use a top down approach, therefore, opening lines of communication between all roles and creating a partnership type of culture (Harris, 2006). In addition, companies need to focus on teaching and training employees in order to stay up to date on the current trends and to grow along with the changing culture (Harris, 2006). The last aspect of emancipating action requires employers to give their employees the freedom to succeed by providing them with their mission and allowing them to make decisions on their own (Harris, 2006).
Twitter, Southwest Airlines, and Google are three companies that have created happier cultures and have succeeded by focusing on their employees (Lawrence, 2016). Twitter has 230 applicants for every job opening due to its company culture (Lev-Ram, 2015). The company provides on-site yoga and improv classes, free food, and the ability to work alongside the CEO, Dick Costolo (Lev-Ram, 2015). The company offers a rooftop deck where employees can hang out and relax, the CEO treats them as partners, and there’s a common area where social events and meetings are held with wine and beer on tap (Lev-Ram, 2015).
Southwest Airlines has succeeded by implementing four beliefs to “Live the Southwest Way” (Southwest Culture, n.d.). Living the “Southwest Way” involves having a:
· “Warrior Spirit”
· “Servant’s Heart”
· “Fun-LUVing Attitude”
· “Work the Southwest Way” (Southwest, n.d.).
The warrior spirit relates to employees being supportive and adaptive to customer’s travel reasons, meaning they deliver the product that customers need based upon their travel reasons (Makovsky, 2013). The servant’s heart is the golden rule, treat others as you would want to be treated (Makovsky, 2013). Having a Fun-LUVing attitude consists of the employees having a little fun and not taking themselves to seriously (Makovsky, 2013). “Work the Southwest Way” involves customer safety, reliability, friendly customer service, and low costs (Southwest, n.d.).
Google’s success also relies upon its people (Google Company, n.d.). They maintain an open culture where all employees are comfortable expressing their ideas and opinions (Google Company, n.d.). Every year, Google receives 2.5 million applicants who are seeking to work for a company that offers amazing perks, such as free food, free health and dental benefits, free haircuts, free dry cleaning, massages, gyms and swimming pools, subsidies for hybrid cars, pods for napping, entertainment (video games, foosball, and ping pong), on-site doctors, and death benefits (Bulygo, n.d). Not surprisingly, Google relies upon data to develop their culture and gauge employees and their productivity (Bulygo, n.d.). Google collects their data and then uses that data to improve their employees’ lives, for example, they found that women left the company at twice the rate of men due to their maternity plan, so they changed it to be more accommodating (Kim, 2013).
Although the stimulation environment doesn’t provide free food, Twitter, Southwest, and Google all have aspects that can be implemented and result in team collaboration and a good stimulation result. Implementation of best practices in terms of stimulation growth plans is going to rely heavily upon open communication, transparency, and allowing ideas to be expressed freely. Google relies heavily upon data. The data from the stimulation comes from our individual Insight Discovery profiles. This information can be used to determine how to best work with someone based upon their personality traits. Although a goal needs achieved, it is really necessary to have a little fun as well, and not take be so serious all the time. Sometimes, just having a bit of fun results in a happier environment in which new ideas can be generated and grown upon. All of this information can be integrated if everyone takes the approach to treat others as they would want to be treated. Everyone has their own opinions, their own thought processes, their own ways of doing things, however, we all need to act as partners, collaborate, and allow for communication to be free and open.
References:
Bulygo, Z. (n.d). Inside Google’s culture of success and employee happiness. Retrieved December 9, 2016, from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/googles-culture-of-success/
Google Company (n.d). Retrieved December 9, 2016 from https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/culture/
Harris, Jim. (2006). Five principles of employee engagement. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://common.books24x7.com.lib.kaplan.edu/toc.aspx?bookid=19079
Kim, J (2013, September 30). 7 secrets of Google’s epic organizational culture. Retrieved December 9, 2016, from https://www.officevibe.com/blog/7-secrets-of-googles-epic-organizational-culture
Lawrence, D. (July 2016). Don’t worry, be happy. TD Magazine, (7). 60.
Lev-Ram, M. (2015). Welcome to the twitterloin. Fortune, 171(4), 120-122
Makovsky, K. (2013, November 21). Behind the southwest airlines culture.Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenmakovsky/2013/11/21/behind-the-southwest-airlines-culture/#7493cacb3fb9
Miller, R., & Chandra, S. (2015). Labor shortage means employers will pay more for talent. HR Focus. p. 10.
Phillips, J. J., & Edwards, L. (2009).Managing Talent Retention: An ROI Approach. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
PRNewswire (2016, October 18). In your own backyard: With 46% of U.S. employers reporting talent shortages, more companies than ever are choosing to upskill their existing workforce. PR Newswire, US
Southwest Airlines. (n.d.) Retrieved December 9, 2016 from: https://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/careers/culture.html
