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Article from The Straits Times, Interactive Edition 2000
Employees set high expectations
BY PAUL HENG
| Courting and keeping talented employees in the new economy is a whole new kind of experience for new economy employers. -- BY LUDWIG ILIO |
EMPLOYEES today are a new breed of animal.
Gone are the days when the order "Move!" would see employees scuttling as if their lives depended on it.
No Sir, gone are the days.
The New Corporate Warriors today want a piece of the action. They expect to take charge of their careers, their futures.
They want to be rich -- super rich and super fast -- so that they can retire and do the things they reall
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| They see corporate hierarchies as a necessary evil. Hence, they will respect their leader for his knowledge and capabilities but not his rank and position. |
y want to do.
In the United States, organisations are moving and adapting to The New Employee, who increasingly views the workplace as
another home, rather than a place of work.
Many US companies now provide gyms, childcare centres, and even masseurs to soothe tired, aching backs.
The race is on to find innovative ways to attract, motivate and retain talent.
But what does the New Corporate Warrior really want? Here is a list of what I think matters to him most:
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Size doesn't matter
In the new millennium, Corporate Warriors may not necessarily prefer large organisations. There are plenty of start-ups that offer real exciting opportunities for learning as well as prospering. Steering a company to IPO is definitely more rewarding than watching a giant's revenue climbs 5 per cent year on year.
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Training versus money
In terms of remuneration, sure, the more pay the merrier. But unlike in the past, pay may no longer be the decisive factor. They will want to know what you, the employer, has to offer in terms of training, development and career prospects.
Also, forget about bumping perks, bonuses, pension funds and the like. They don't expect to be around that long. Sticking with one or two companies in your working life span is an outmoded concept these days. Continued change, instead, is considered healthy, normal and positive.
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Loyalty is dead
The New Corporate Warrior considers it unrealistic to expect a life-time guarantee of employment. As such, he is only loyal for the duration of his contract. He does not expect an iron rice bowl; a porcelain one will suffice, thank you.
And when the time comes to part ways, so be it. It is an increasingly common phenomenon in corporate life for people to leave after putting in a year or so. The current school of thought is: There is probably something wrong with you if you stay with the same employer for more than three years.
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Continuous promotions please
They expect promotions to come fast and furious if they perform and add value to their organisations. Promotions in this context do not only mean a pay rise. They must be meaningfully accompanied by more responsibilities. New employees want to continue learning and be exposed continuously to new challenges. Stagnation or boredom are signs for them to move on.
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Visionary leadership
Visionary bosses are preferred. Corporate warriors want to be empowered and led, not managed, and definitely not supervised. They see corporate hierarchies as a necessary evil. Hence, they will respect their leader for his knowledge and capabilities but not his rank and position.
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Doing it my way
They will expect to be given the autonomy to do things their own way, as long as the desired results are achieved. They will prefer to work whenever and wherever they choose, unconfined by rigid corporate rules and regulations. The cyber office will become increasingly popular. Real office space will shrink as more people work from home, allowing companies to save thousands of dollars in rent. Meanwhile, managers will be expected to supervise only in terms of delivery. This means "It's okay if you're not in the office. I may not be in the office myself. But make sure you deliver the goods!'
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Fuzzy is good
Corporate warriors thrive on ambiguity, rather than clearly defined corporate structures. The more fuzzy the working environment, the more effective they will be. Because they embrace risk-taking with open arms, they have a high tolerance for mistakes.
But they expect to be rewarded for their risk-taking, regardless of the outcome. Organisations should be willing to allow them to think outside the box and implement new, untried ideas. Managers also should be prepared to have their views and decisions challenged.
The important thing to remember is that challenges are not directed at corporate rank, but the knowledge and capabilities of the individual. The trick for managers is to manage as you yourself want to be managed. The goal posts have just been shifted. Play on.
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Mr. Paul Heng, managing director of NeXT Career Consulting, is an outplacement and human resource specialist.
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