It Takes More Than Money to Make Work a Rich Experience

“Show me the money!”

Unfortunately this thought overshadows the thinking of too many employees and employers as they think about what makes a job good. Naively, many believe money is the key to, if not the sole determinant of, a good job.

But if you have ever dreaded going to work, you know that there is more to a good place to work than money. Clearly, money is important. We want to live comfortably. Who wants to live on the brink of economic disaster? And if we don’t believe we are being paid fairly, or if we find we cannot take care of basic needs, money is a huge issue.

At some point, though, getting paid, even if we are paid well, is not enough. We need to have more reasons than money to get out of bed and make the commute to work. We need to assess our jobs more broadly beyond just tasks and money. And we need to understand that getting a job in a desired discipline or industry is not enough.

As employees today, we have more opportunities to have that good job. We can be more selective of where we work. We might be less willing to tolerate a bad work environment.

For employees, understanding what constitutes a good place to work is a critical key to career success--a key that enables thoughtful assessment of a current employment situation as well as future possibilities.

And for employers, retaining and finding good employees is increasingly challenging.

Creating a “good place to work” is vital for organizational success.

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So what are the attributes of a good place to work? Here are four characteristics that are at the core:

Challenging: A boring job is torture. Time moves slower, and eventually we dread going to work. Great organizations, where people want to be employed, provide challenging work that enables employees to learn and grow. Innovative organizations don’t fear change. Their employees have, and are encouraged to seek, chances to do leading-edge assignments that develop skills, create promotion possibilities and fuel career growth. To be the best we can be, we need fresh challenges, not a prison of boredom.

Flexibility: Great places to work are flexible, not rigid. They understand the work place is increasingly diverse in terms of age, nationality and race. And employee lives are more complex with dual-career, single-parent, and elder-care challenges. Greatplaces to work don’t manage by unbending rules or by the numbers. Loyalty and morale grow when a manager demonstrates that he cares for an employee as a person and there is a willingness to adjust a starting time, a day off, or make rational exceptions in light of unique circumstances. In addition, employees in these organizations understand the value of flexibility and demonstrate a willingness to make those inevitable adjustments. Companies where people want to work accommodate employees when possible, and coach their managers to take the right, and not necessarily the easy, management path.

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Integrity: We want to work for organizations with integrity, that is, organizations that not only clearly communicate their values but whose managers demonstrate and defend them in their day-to-day decisions. We want to work for and with honest, fair people we can trust. And we don’t want to work for organizations we can’t respect. Nothing kills motivation faster than a lack of honesty or fairness, whether real or perceived. Great organizations understand this and expect all employees, managers and subordinates, to conduct themselves with integrity.

Fun: We spend more time at work with our colleagues than we do at home with family and friends. A good place to work encourages fun. Smiles are clearly welcome. And given the stress of work today, that occasional laughter we hear is medicinal. We need to look forward to going to work and to have healthy working relationships. Fun is a necessary ingredient for that great place to work.

Organizational and career success depends on both companies and employees better understanding what makes a good company.

As employees, we want a meaningful and fulfilling career. But we need more than deep subject knowledge, grasp of technical skills, and understanding of key career skills. We alsoneed to know how to assess our jobs and evaluate potential career opportunities.

And as employers, we want amazing employees, that is, knowledgeable, innovative, skilled, results-oriented people with great attitudes. But it takes more than money to retain and hire these employees. Employers must create a great place to work. They need to be good employers.

Let us, employees and managers, pursue challenging work rather than avoiding it. Let us work together, striving to accommodate whenever possible, and make our jobs more fun. And let us conduct our work with integrity, making our organizations good places to work.

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Gary Izumo is an instructor in the Moorpark College business department and has co-written “Keys to Workplace Skills.” He is a former McKinsey & Co. consultant and practice leader for the Strategic Management Consulting Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. You can e-mail him at gizumo@vcccd.net.