What do employees want?

What do employees want?

I recently ran into an entrepreneur and a successful one at that who is building a standard company in Nigeria. As excited as he was about what he is doing and the potential out there for growth in this country, his frustration with people issues were palpable. In less than ten minutes he rattled a number of programs and things he has done to try and get his people to perform and be passionate about the business but he has achieved very little.

He was also very noticeably frustrated with these people issues. His case is not peculiar. Often times I thought it was because they did not plan their people strategy alongside the business strategy but business strategy are emergent most times especially in emerging markets like Nigeria and so are the people issues.

It amazes me that people do not think that policies and regulations that affect the social arrangement of the country turn around and affect the people. In developed economies, people are paid to track these changes and what possible effects it will have on the people. People transcend all sectors of life and the businesses are not immuned to changes and effects.

What do employees want? Employees of today, are they the same with the ones of a decade and two decades ago? Are there demographic changes in our workforce? Should these or rather will these affect the expectations of the workforce?

There are a number of things that companies and business leaders can do that are non monetary and effective. Also a number of behavioral and leadership issues also affect employee morale and productivity and these have nothing to do with generations but fundamental to all across space and time. So the first point of call is a look within for the leaders and managers.

Often employers and business managers think only of money and raises. While money is a motivator, it rarely makes the first top three of the list in researches over the years. Communication on the other hand more often than not, tops the list and your employees are not different. If you are a manager, or business leader, do not hold back information. It is no longer power to hold unto information that can help your team. Employees need to know what is going on or else they will make it up and act on it.

Second on my list will be respect. But what kind of respect would an employee possible expect from a business owner who has been kind enough to pull him out of the streets and give him a job? To a lot of entrepreneurs, they are doing the employees who work for them a favor and they act it out even if they do not say it. This is a very poor attitude and one that will cause you more harm than good.


Respect is reflected in the way they are addressed, talked to and treated. Remember, it is not always how much you pay employees that is critical, it is how you treat them and if you treat your employees well, chances are that you will ‘pay them well’.