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HR field must adapt to retain top talent: expert Jody Nabours Job satisfaction: People today are more willing to take risks to achieve happiness in their lives, says executive
With only two per cent of the population reporting that they're working in their ideal jobs, Atlantic Canadian author Phil Holmes told a room full of human-resources professionals Wednesday to change the way they do business or risk losing their most talented employees. As part of this year's Atlantic HR Conference sponsored by CareerBeacon.com, Holmes delivered a keynote speech entitled Authentic Leadership. About 250 human-resources professionals from across the region attended the session Wednesday in Fredericton. "In order to understand what authentic leadership is, you really have to understand what authenticity is," said Holmes, the vice-president of business solutions for the Atlantic Canada IT firm Ambir Solutions. A person who is living and working authentically, Holmes said, is a person who takes the steps that will truly make him or her happy in life and on the job. Holmes said those who continue to hold down jobs that make them unhappy tend to spiral out of control at work and at home. "As you decrease personal performance, you increase stress, you decrease wellness and you decrease authenticity," he said. "As you decrease authenticity, you decrease personal dissatisfaction and you increase social dysfunction and you increase negative language and behaviour. That leads to increased family dysfunction." He said unhappiness at work can lead to extreme stress and eventually even abusive tendencies. "It becomes more than just the Monday blues. It becomes the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday blues," he said. Over the last few decades, Holmes said, more and more people have been stopping to ask themselves what it would take to find happiness. "They're making choices and asking themselves, 'How do I want to live my life?' " he said. "On a subconscious level, everyone knows what to do with their life." Decades ago, he said, few people would have taken the steps to find their ideal jobs because they were afraid to give up high-paying jobs or let go of their responsibilities, but today people are realizing the benefits of taking giant leaps to find happiness and a job they're passionate about. "People are becoming less frightened and more engaged," Holmes said. He said with so many people on the hunt to find happiness and become passionate about their jobs, it's not uncommon to see unhappy employees "cash out" and "opt for the simpler life," even if it involves taking a pay cut. "Those people aren't the low performers. They're usually the high performers," he said. And with 94 per cent of the population saying they're not working jobs that truly make them happy, Holmes said, employers are at risk of losing their most talented employees if they don't adapt to changing employee expectations. They also run the risk of losing money. "As you decrease employee dissatisfaction, you increase employee dysfunction, and you decrease customer satisfaction, and there's a decrease in your company's wealth," he said. To attract and retain a talented workforce, Holmes said, employers must adapt to evolving employee and customer expectations and remain relevant to existing and potential employees. They should realize that engaged and enthusiastic employees are happier, more productive and more willing employees. Holmes, who moved from the United Kingdom to Halifax in 2008 to work at Ambir, has written two books - The Resonance Principle: Understanding Your Life Path and The Rightwork System: How to find Your Ideal Job. Before moving to Canada, he worked with several Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies to develop authentic business solutions. He was CEO of the MindStore Group, the U.K.'s leading personal development company. |
