To: My Friends

Issue: What People Consider in Evaluating Employment Choices

Employees are, in a sense, customers for your work environment. They don't have to work for you. Those with knowledge and skills in short supply have choices. In order to attract and retain them, you need to know what's important to them and do a better job of meeting their wants than your competition. What do people consider when they are deciding whether to continue working for you or accept a job offer?

In interviews with over 5000 employees I have sought to find out what is important to them in deciding where to work. I have identified 25 factors they most commonly used to evaluate whether to stay or accept a job elsewhere. The degree to which each is important varies, but these are what they typically consider in their decisions:

Regarding work itself:

• Important/meaningful/interesting work
• Clear direction and realistic expectations
• The resources needed to do the work
• Well-maintained current tools/equipment
• Reasonable freedom to perform the work

Regarding relations with others:

• Mutual respect and trust
• Supportive leadership
• Helpful and friendly co-workers
• Honesty and openness to differences
• Recognition
• Sense of participation and partnership
• Feeling of being "in" on what happens
• A way to resolve issues productively

Regarding the organization:

• Credible leadership (who know what they are doing and who "walk the talk")
• Policies and rules that make sense
• Fair treatment
• Esprit de corps - pride of being associated with the employer
• Sense of control over one's life (balance between work and the rest of life)

Regarding one's career:

• A feeling of competence/mastery
• A mentor - someone who takes interest in them and their career
• Opportunity for and support of professional growth, and growth of one's value in the job market

Regarding compensation and benefits:

• Competitive and fair pay
• Benefits tailored to one's needs
• Tax-sheltered way to build wealth (401[K] or stock options)

Other:

• Housing (commute, cost, schools, etc.)

Where is job security as a factor? In the past decade it has been supplanted by the desire to continue growing and gaining value so as to be readily employable.

How important is each factor to the people who work for you? How well is your business providing what the employees you want to hire and retain are looking for? What do you need to do to assure the attractiveness and competitiveness of your business for the staff you need?

Jacobsen Consulting specializes in getting the answers to these questions for you, and in helping you to keep or secure the talent you need to compete in the 21st century.

Sincerely,

Ian Jacobsen, FIMC
Certified Management Consultant