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Are Your People Really Your Most Important Asset?
Surely you must put more on the table than a card saying they are important and a donut on a Friday?!
It has been suggested that that placing cards with a positive message on staff desks or small treats like this is amazing management, makes staff feel appreciated and transforms the workplace for the better.
We all know the doctrine, “Our people are our most important asset.” Sadly, in my working life, that doctrine, ever present, has been, at best, a well-intentioned goal which isn’t achieved. At worst, a lie.
During my working life, overtime pay has been cancelled as has annual salary increases. Profit sharing and bonuses have been reduced to a bare minimum received by the chosen few.
Such actions may have a temporary place in an organization struggling through tough times. Sadly, many organizations nowadays have adopted these actions as routine and made them permanent changes. The statement by such actions is, “Our Investors are our most important asset.”
Cards on desks, pizzas on special occasions or donuts on a Friday are all great but only in addition to being treated fairly and with respect. This is not a dig at HR. Finding creative ways to spread positivity is an important thing to do.
The challenge here lies with the Executives trying to attract and hold on to the best talent that your industry has to offer. Surely you must put more on the table than a card saying they are important and a donut on a Friday?! #people #hr #management #talent #respect
