Recently, the New York Times ran a somewhat biased article about working conditions at Amazon. The work, while praising several Amazonian virtues, leans mostly towards the negative.
For those of us who don’t work at Amazon, the article paints a grim picture of a grim, cruel, and toxic work environment where people are cold and have little respect for one another. But on the second day, lots of denials started appearing online on social media networks, blogs, and websites.
One that stands out was written by an Amazon employee who was outraged by an inaccurate portrayal of her amazing workplace. That unsolicited disclaimer — the author insists he wasn’t intimidated by Amazon or anyone else to write it — to defend Amazon as passionately as they come.
Which brings us to our question: How many workplaces can boast such strong loyalty? Maybe very little. Why is that? It’s simple: There aren’t many workplaces that can engender such intense loyalty and dedication in their employees.
Every organization dreams of having enthusiastic employees like this, who are fully committed to their work, motivated and dedicated to the vision and goals of the organization. So, what can you do to turn your employees into your “evangelist” and get them so committed to your vision that they will go further for the organization?
Give Them A Purpose Bigger Than Them
What is your organization’s goal? Do you only sell to your nearest region or do you want to be the best in the industry and in the country?
Create a vision and work hard to make it happen. Recruit the best talent and bring them out in your workplace and let them create. Help them find meaning in what they do. Give them very large a goal that will inspire them to give their all.
Create a Positive Work Environment Where Managers Listen to Subordinates
One thing that stood out to us was the author’s emphasis on how they can provide alternative suggestions to their superiors and still be rewarded for it.
All work should be about competence and effectiveness, not seniority and ego – that is completely useless. If a subordinate has a solution to a problem, he or she should be encouraged to respectfully disagree and propose a more effective solution.
Your work environment doesn’t have to be strict and inflexible
Work environments in which people are micromanaged are almost never very productive. You need to believe you employee to give the best. The productivity of your workers should not only be determined by their physical presence at work.
A more effective approach is to have measurable milestones and metrics while each employee has a clear vision of their goals. This way, even if workers have to work from home once or twice a week, they can still collaborate with people in the office through the use of task management software like score.
Don’t Work Your Employees to the “Ground”
Work environments where there is no clear concern for the personal well-being and health of workers will invariably experience high turnover. You workers don’t need to work 100 hours a week just to meet deadlines. This would obviously result in major health problems and the resentment that would ensue Neverlet them become dedicated to your organization.
You will notice that we did not say anything about financial remuneration. That’s because several studies have shown that there are financial limits –around $90k- beyond which cash games have little or no influence in inspiring extraordinary commitments. However, this doesn’t mean that you should pay your workers less. Always pay them a fair wage, no questions asked.
