Page 218 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

Job Enrichment and Professional Growth C205

: Do we celebrate the small steps new Yes/No
employees take as they gradually
become more effective?

: Do line managers modify a particular job Yes/No
to better fit the unique skills or talents of
their direct reports?
: Do employees feel a sense of “comple- Yes/No
tion” in their work, seeing a task through
from start to finish?
: Do we consider the possibility of task Yes/No
swapping, recognizing that a task one
employee finds boring or unsatisfying
another employee may find challenging
and enjoyable?
: Are we asking employees directly, Yes/No
“What are the strengths you most enjoy
using?” or “What was the most enjoy-
able job you ever had, and why?”

: Are we giving employees as much freedom Yes/No
as possible to make their own judgments
and decisions about how to do the work,
achieve the result, or serve the customer?

If there is a particular employee whose level of engagement you would
like to see increased, you may want to go back and consider each ques-
tion with that person in mind.
Some may see the last filter question as the most controversial.
We suspect talk about giving employees freedom makes some of you
uncomfortable—are we asking you to cede your authority as lead-
ers? Gaylord Hotels General Manager Kemp Gallineau had these
thoughts on this very subject:

We don’t just say to our front desk agent “you’re empowered to
spend up to $200” to take care of a customer’s concern. We let our