There was a time and generation when people rejoiced at the slightest prospect of achieving employment – a time when having a job signified job security, stability and lifetime certainty. It was not uncommon for employees to provide years, if not decades, to their organisation as long as the company met their essential needs and requirements. The scenario as it stands today, however, needs no elaboration to the regular professional.
Be it due to the volatility of the job market leading to professional careers meeting an abrupt end or employees opting out of their roles owing to a sense of dissatisfaction with their organisations, job security is that ephemeral phenomenon being chased around the block by employees and employers alike. Needless to say, prioritizing job security has become more important than ever for you – the employer – since it not only helps your employees find the much-needed confidence at work but ensures that your organisation succeeds in retaining its finest talent. So, if you’re wondering how to get started, here’s how you can incorporate a sense of job security in your organisational framework.
Communicate honestly and regularly: Internal communications
It is common knowledge that effective communication is at the heart of every successful relationship and an organisation’s relationship with its workforce is certainly no different. It is of the utmost importance that your organisation regularly reaches out to its employees to keep them updated and constantly in the loop, especially so when tough times come calling. Leaving your employees in the dark during difficult times leaves them feeling understandably unsure and vulnerable, even leading to propagation of rumours and a general sense of apprehension and anxiety. Regular employer communication ensures your workforce is on the same page as you and goes a long way in calming employment fears. You can make this a part of your employee engagement strategy.
Lead by being a confident example
Much like the rough seas rocking the metaphorical boat, difficult times for your company can set your employees to go looking for an anchor – a figure of support that could appease their concerns and instill a sense of stability. By being the “confident captain” of the ship, creating an atmosphere of openness and offering continual and sincere reassurance, you could become the anchor your employees seek in individual times of trouble and collective times of difficulty. As a team manager, you should have at least the basic knowledge of people management. Leadership training and people management programs can equip your team to create an engaging work environment, thus boosting working relationships and confidence levels to contribute more at work. Subsequently, this improves your opportunity of employer branding.
Empower your employees
Job security for an individual is intricately tied in with the sense of ownership they feel towards their work. And how can an organisation help employees develop this sense of ownership? Simple but essential initiatives such as involving them in major decisions, asking for their inputs and sincerely considering feedback helps your employees feel involved and empowered with regard to their organisation’s future. Employee engagement companies in India recommend and urge managers at any level to make this gimmick into a full time plan. This in turn, helps them feel confident about the indispensability of their skills as well as the importance of their respective roles and hence helps strengthen their sense of job security.
Make work their ‘happy place’
As a final note, let us look at how the term ‘job security’ has witnessed a shift in the modern times. We see that more than ever before, the generation of employees working today value work culture above a host of other factors that were popularly considered indispensable to the generations before them. As it were, ‘job security’ has a very different connotation to the new generation of potential employees than one might have previously expected. There is a tendency for these new age employees to seek a sense of job security within themselves rather than from an external factor such as their organisations. Therefore, it is essential for an organisation of the new age to focus on providing meaning in work and fulfilling a sense of contentment and happiness for their employees in order to provide a holistic sense of job security. After all, security is primarily gained from a sense of purpose, fulfillment and the knowledge of one’s place in the larger picture.
This article first appeared on Times Ascent. How do you think job security can be instilled in the DNA of your organization? Let us know at info@willnevergrowup.com
