Helping Mid-Life Employees Find Meaning

by: Nandang S Nugraha | Total views: 52 | Word Count: 787 | View PDF | Print View

 by: Craig Nathanson

People work to live, but most also live to work. A study
on the meaning of work conducted back in 1987 revealed a strong
attachment to work as a way of life. The study found that 86 percent of
people would continue working even if they had enough money never to
work another day. There could be no better indication that work is not
simply a matter of putting food on the table, but is core to the being
of most adults.

Adults in mid-life in particular often find this sense
of work as a central component of their lives under direct assault from
a business culture that undervalues personal fulfillment as an
essential driver of productivity.

I believe the next wave of workforce management for
enlightened corporations will be to focus on “softer” indicators of
productivity. Fulfillment, meaning, satisfaction, and that intangible
sense that the job is about more than a paycheck are what will make all
workers, in particular those in mid-life, more productive.

The alternative to paying attention to these issues is
to suffer high levels of attrition among mid-life workers. Some
corporations take the short-sighted view that “experienced worker” is a
euphemism for “highly compensated” and therefore see little reason to
make any effort to retain older employees. Enlightened organizations
understand that this is a penny wise and pound foolish approach.

Mid-career, mid-life employees are often among the most
productive, skilled and dedicated in an organization. And as
compensation plans tend to be more variable and results-oriented than
in the past, it is less of a concern that more tenured employees earn
more money just because they have been with the organization longer.

As everyone knows, the cost of retaining an employee is
considerably lower than the cost of hiring and training his or her
replacement.

Retention programs have tended to focus on tangible
rewards. Bonuses, tuition assistance, flexible working hours, concierge
services, even free gourmet coffee!

What has not been central to retention strategies is the
soul of the mid-life, mid-career employee. So what practical measures
can corporate HR and line managers take to nourish the souls of their
most important employees?

Encourage employees to explore their inner needs.

Many mid-life employees are essentially satisfied with
their work. They are challenged, never bored, and believe they are
putting their skills to good use. Yet they may not be sufficiently
introspective to understand whether they are building the deep level of
career and life satisfaction required for true contentment. The
challenge here is that such employees are just one wake up call away
from questioning everything in their lives. Consider balance,
introspection, exploration of different desires and interests, many of
which are not work-related, a kind of preventive medicine for the soul.

Provide a safe environment to express personal needs.

The fear of projecting weakness is a powerful
undercurrent in corporate culture. Organizations that provide a safe
environment to express fear and doubt and explore ways to address these
concerns will defuse many potential retention challenges among
employees who fear reprisal if they confide a desire to achieve more
work-family balance, take off time to pursue a personal interest or
take a new direction in their careers. Organizations need to make their
employees feel comfortable to ask questions, confide doubts or
concerns. More critically, organizations need to demonstrate they will
treat these confidences appropriately and direct them toward a higher
level of employee satisfaction, rather than use them as “ammunition” at
the next performance review.

Make “renewal” a job requirement.

This may seem counter-intuitive. Force employees to take
time off every so often to walk barefoot through the park. Or more
substantively, strongly encourage them to pursue outside interests. Ask
yourself if there is a member of your staff that sings in cabarets on
the weekends. Was this information volunteered? Or did management find
out by happenstance? Was management’s reaction to reserve a table at
the next performance or have a hallway meeting to question whether this
employee valued lounge singing more than her job?

Think of it this way. If the cabaret singer feels
comfortable pursuing her avocation, she is less likely to regard work
as a burden that keeps her from pursuing a personal passion. Encourage
that pursuit, and it is much less likely the two activities will come
into conflict.

Taking an intangible like personal fulfillment and
turning it into a job benefit is a significant challenge. It is much
easier to give time, money or prizes. But the benefits of tangible
rewards last only as long as the money, or the time, or the novelty of
the prize. Encouraging the deeper personal satisfaction of key
employees offers a bigger and longer lasting pay off.

About the Author

Craig Nathanson is The Vocational Coach™ and the author of the new book, P Is For Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day by Bookcoach Press and the publisher of the free Ezine, ‘’Vocational passion in mid-life’’. Craig believes the world works a little better when we do the work we love. Craig Nathanson helps those in mid-life carry this out! Visit his on-line community at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com

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