Employer of choice

What makes a company a place where employees love to work? Beyond checking the usual boxes of compensation and benefits, rewards and recognition, training and development, diversity and inclusion, and all those other phrases that beg for an ampersand, what are the workplace components that create happy employees? The answer will be a little different for every employee, but a few elements that you might assume are negatives can actually be positives for some.

Problems are good

Solving complex problems for clients or for the employee’s own organization can be deeply satisfying, especially when arriving at those solutions requires using one’s unique talent and experience. Whether it’s collaborating with a team or working on their own, many employees mention the ability to solve problems as one of the things they enjoy most about their work.

Long hours aren’t always bad

Nobody wants to work long hours day after day with no break. But when employees are passionate about the work they’re doing, sometimes working longer hours, perhaps to meet a deadline, can be somewhat exciting. It helps, though, if long days are occasional rather than a constant and if employees have some autonomy and flexibility in when, where and how they work.

Building their resumes can retain them

Having your managers focus on preparing employees for the next step on their career path may sound like you’re just preparing them to leave for a better job. But it can actually be an effective tactic for retention. When employees are building skills, stretching their abilities, and adding impressive experience to their resume, they often find the grass plenty green right where they are.

Teamwork does make the dream work

Don’t underestimate the power of employees having a good time together at work. When people are working with others they enjoy, when they have interesting conversations and make each other laugh, work becomes a much more engaging environment. Those relationships improve their ability to collaborate successfully and help make employees more reluctant to jump ship.

Making a difference makes a difference

Most people like to feel that the work they devote their time to is making a positive impact. But that doesn’t have to mean changing the world or addressing some widespread crisis. It could be just that the product or service the company provides helps some group of customers in a meaningful way – or that the work the employee is doing makes a real difference in the organization.