I have always been interested in human resources management: how do you motivate your employees?  Why do certain people tend to slack off?  Are “free-thinking” companies (those that allow their employees to do yoga and to relax in communal gardens) less productive than the traditional office setting?  How do you get a person to do their best work, all the time?

Whenever there is a collaboration, the question of productivity arises.  In this blog post by Bruce Jones of the Disney Institute, he argues that the secret lies within employee engagement.

Intellectual property of the Disney Institute,

He argues that employees need more than health benefits and a decent paycheque.  In order for them to do their best work, they need to know that you care.  You need to demonstrate genuine concern for their wellbeing, and take their ideas into serious consideration.

It’s not a quick solution: if management was previously uncaring, and demanded results around the clock, then the company would need to “market” the management team i.e. it would need to position the managing team in the consumer’s mind (in this case, the employees!) This method takes effort on behalf of management, and it relies heavily on sincerity.  But it’s a simple concept that makes sense (at least to me): care for your employees, and they won’t want to let you down.

I think human resources is basically about keeping your employees happy.  But the difficult part is maintaining a balance between cost and happiness.  I look forward to Thursday’s class, and to our guest speaker to weigh in on this concept.