When you engage in business, we all understand that your first need to understand your market before putting a product on the shelves. We study the trends of consumers and focus on that, because it can be catastrophic if you supply what is not needed or wanted. But what are the trends in our employees? Do we spend enough time and money to make them buy into our business? Do we see them as our customers too, or do we just ignore their needs? Do we think that our responsibility ends when salary or commission is paid to them at the end of the month? When it comes to motivation, underestimating the influence of the context of your workforce can be devistating, and may be reflected in your bottom line.
These days, we talk about the 3 P's, People, Planet and Profit as the bottom line, not only profit. Companies all over the world have realised that our whole life and economy revolves around more than money. Just take into account the influence of the Enron spectacle and how that changed the way that customers and the general public perceive financial institutions and business in general. People tend to ask why they should do business with you, not how much it will cost only. Your employees are the same asking not what you can pay them, but why they should work for you and not your compettetor. Long gone is the time where the phrase: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country".
We, as a western society, although we are a 3rd World country, have to understand that with the education of people and the increase in the middle-class in South Africa, people are looking for something else. When we take Maslow's Hierarchy of needs into account, our basic need is Survival, moving to safety, then love and belonging and Esteem and ending in Self-Actualization. In our society what do you do when your workforce and customers have evolved from the basic needs into a world where they are looking for Self-Actualization? That is not to say that people do not still have the need for survival and safety in monetary form, or that the accolades of esteem is not important anymore. We all agree that when these things are met, people are asking more of us, asking the question about the "meaning of life" and their purpose.
In Forbes magazine in 2016, the number one career was Recruiters, and the reason may be that they feel as if they contribute to the happiness of others. Interesting enough, Sales is rated as the 8th worst job to do. The reasons for this can be long, but we understand that it is difficult. Interestingly enough is that the average income for Recruiters and Sales people are more or less the same at around $50 000 per annum. Thus suggesting that being happy at what you do is not just a monetary concern. Many things can be misguided by statistics, but let's look at another phenomena, the growth of Spirituality.
I am using Spirituality as a word, because it should include Religion, but is a broader term. Just look at the increase of Yoga studio's and meditation centres around the world. On a personal level, the figures are staggering on the sale of books like The Secret and the works of Paolo Coelho etc. People are looking for the meaning and purpose of their lives, that can not be ignored anymore. In Business we see the publication of books like: Megatrends 2010, The Soul of Business, Liberating the Corporate Soul, Working from the Heart, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, Jesus CEO, What Would the Buddha Do At Work?, Spirit at Work, Redefining the Corporate Soul, The Corporate Mystic, Leading with Soul, etc.
"Growing numbers of business people want their spirituality to be more than just faith and belief--they want it to be practical and applied. They want to bring their whole selves to work--body, mind and spirit." Corinne McLaughlin
Maybe that is why companies like Google, Yahoo, IBM and Apple have medition classes on their campusses, understanding the change in needs of their employees. I do understand that businesses are not used to this, and this might sound very "unusual", but this trend to spirituality can not be ignored anymore.
When we talk about spirituality, we are not saying that we should focus too much on the spirituality that your business become a church. I am also not stating therefore that the focus should be taken off the important business of the day, just that it should be included in our world and our day to day life, because our employees do it.
One main thing is important, as learned from companies that have included this approach in their companies, is that it should never be superficial, otherwise it feels like an experiment only to increase profits and will be counter productive. It starts at the top with leadership and in practice how your own spirituality flows through to your employees. When the employee is seen as a Whole person, all the other things will follow. Employees that are happy, are more creative.
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