What Your Employees Are Begging You For

Employees need to feel valued, challenged and engaged in order to bring the energy and positivity needed to be a part of a successful business.

Tim Albright

The last few months in my little corner of the AV industry has been met with some significant upheaval.

At last count seven AV compatriots had lost their job or quit with no prospects on the table. The narcissistic part of me would claim that I was bad luck, but that’s just silly. Right?

As I watch and help where I can, the question of what these fine AV professionals want to do begins to surface. Not just what they want to do on a daily basis but what sort of company do they want to work with, what environment makes them thrive?

Over the course of my career I have worked for some pretty bad and pretty great bosses and companies.  The common thread among these newly freed professionals and those I talk to on a weekly basis are they want to be challenged and valued.

The challenged part can be done in a variety of ways. This can be with the type of work they do, their team, or the incredible projects you can put them on. As you onboard new employees, or look to recruit new ones, highlight the jobs and installs you have done that are out of the ordinary.

MORE: Why We Love Working in the AV Industry (and You Should, Too)

Have you done a stadium, multi-building educational facility, setup a true virtual matrix over the network? Highlight what is new or unique to challenge these new and potential workers.

All of us want to feel valued and needed. It’s one of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (belongingness and love). How you do that is different within your organization and with each employee. I felt the most value when I was given more responsibility and the opportunity to grow and succeed. That was me.

Yes, more money is always nice. However, there is a quote from Napoleon that goes something like “a man does not have himself killed for six pence a day. You need to speak to the heart.” So, money is important but so is connecting your workers with the purpose and drive of your organization.

As you look to gain new employees and develop those you have, make certain you are taking care to engage them. There are few things more dangerous to the health of a company than a lackluster or despondent worker. They will suck the life right out of you.

An engaged, valued, and challenged worker will energize you and the rest of the staff and make coming to work a joy.

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