Working Conditions vs. Employee Satisfaction

Beds were uncomfortable.
Catering was poor.
They make better wages at competitors.
Working long hours like this again?
The youth is not good for anything.
The manager is hopeless and has no idea what’s going on.

Sounds familiar?
Frustrating – after all, “we” worked for much lower wages, slept in worse conditions, food at work was often non-existent, and shift lasting for 24 hours during the season were common.

How is it, for “us” today’s conditions are a luxury, and for “them” a reason to complain?
Why is it hard to find a good worker today and even harder to keep one?

If you liked – or even better – enjoy your job, it’s probably because you meet at least 2 of the following conditions:
a) you make money (wallet)
b) you encounter new situations, that develop you (are at least interesting – mind)
c) you work with cool people (heart)

These are the 3 factors that make people want to do things.
Building a BWS culture is guided by satisfying them, among other things.
Below I briefly discuss each of them and give an example of how they apply to our team.

Wallet – the most basic thing.
To ensure that we have the finances to live a life at the desired level, or if not – at least a clear vision that in the long run a desired level is achievable, and the current one is just OK. Money is not in short supply, we do not live from month to month.
The wallet is the bare minimum – if we don’t provide the minimum finances, no one will want to start or continue working with us.
At BWS we pay market minimum rates, and preferably a little higher. We also take care of transparency and standardization of salaries – what conditions you have to meet to get a raise (the so-called Career Ladder). There is no equal and more equal, you get exactly what the ladder states.

Mindset – am I developing in this job as I would like?
When the financial need is satisfied, there is another need, that of development. The easiest way to satisfy it is through an open conversation with the employee – it’s worth asking at the very beginning of the cooperation in what areas this person would like to develop, and then verify once in a while – whether what he or she is doing serves him or her (both through observation and conversation) and adjust his or her position accordingly. If we throw into the logistics department someone who is a charismatic orator, who easily establishes contact with people and would like to become a salesman – we have a guarantee that this person will not stay in our organization very long.
At BWS, we have dissected the full career path from stagehand to technician. Our team knows where to apply if they want to change the direction they are going in.

Heart – do I like this company?
The same person working in the same position can be great and hopeless, depending on whether the environment is favorable. Winning someone’s heart is already a long process, and the easiest way to get through it is simply to be yourself. Creating a company or department that we manage in accordance with our values. If we are authentic people, we will attract such people too.

The wallet must always be satisfied, if we additionally satisfy the mind – great. But if we win someone’s heart – that is, the people who contribute to the company really like each other – we have a chance to create a super-efficient organization with happy people.

At the end of the day, that’s what matters most – to see smiles on our faces when we meet and work with our colleagues every day.

At BWS, we focus on open communication and often collect feedback from team members, both about the organization and others. This allows us to react quickly when an unreformable link appears in the team – and fire them.

In the 21st century, when most people have money and making money is no longer their primary goal, let’s pay special attention to the mind and heart.

If you think conditions at your company are great, but people are still unhappy – ask yourself if they are definitely doing what they want to do and if there are toxic people in the organization. Try to distribute your people so that it can thrive, and get rid of harmful individuals as soon as possible.

Do you have thoughts on this topic or would you like to ask me a question? Go ahead, I’d be happy to talk – w.klonowski@bws.net.pl