Page 282 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

relationships, and positive work environments are frequently at
least as important as money in shaping employee meaning.

Organization Practices

Over time, organizations become institutionalized through
their policies, structures, and physical settings. HR can also
shape work policies and practices to support employees. We
have seen companies offer:

• • Concierge services to help employees with daily logistics
• • A speaker series where employees could hear industry
thought leaders
• • Tutoring services where employees help other employ-
ees’ children with homework
• • Venture capital advice for employee spouses who
wanted to start their own business (side note: when
spouses used the business advice, the employee almost
always stayed with the company)

Leaders can and should turn to their HR professionals to
help design and deliver HR practices that instill meaning,
linking these practices to presenting business problems. To
promote meaning making, HR can architect choices, coach
leaders on intended and unintended consequences of their
actions, facilitate the processes of change, perform meaning
audits, and help craft an employee value proposition that
focuses not just on the terms and conditions of work but also
on the emotional appeal and opportunities for contribution
that the work provides.
HR practices institutionalize good intentions. Most of
Dave’s work has focused on creating and sustaining customer
and investor outcomes of HR, and the creation of employee

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