In a blog post by Michael Timms, he shares his experience at the Fenestration Association of BC 2015 Western Conference. Timms discussed the greatest problem in his industry with fellow managers and clients. That problem is finding quality employees and retaining them. Timms asked the following two questions to these managers.
- What do you want from your employees?
- What do you think your employees want from you?
The answers were generally sarcastic and poorly thought out. Timms believes most employee dissatisfaction stems from a lack of strong leadership from managers. Employees were likely to not care about their job and less likely to remain at their current company. He further argues that well managed employees are more motivated and productive. I however, disagree with Timms’ view of the problem.
In my opinion, the root of the issue is company culture. Creating an environment that employees look forward to coming to every day is vital for company success. When workers genuinely want to be working for a company they are far more likely to perform their job diligently and with great care. This will benefit the company overall and build a positive atmosphere in which to work.
(Figure 1) Twitter was ranked the #1 company in the United States for company culture by Forbes in 2014
Creating a positive culture starts with Human Resources so I believe that is where Timms should be looking to fix his industry’s problem. Through careful hiring practices and employee training, Timms will find his answer. Though these practices generally cost more initially, in the long run it will be every advantageous for the both the company’s image and income statement.
Media Resource
Figure 1: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjle45hlmi/no-1-twitter/