Workplace Effectiveness – What Does it Really Mean? Who Benefits?

In 2010 Atomic Object was honored with the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

This award program is part of the national When Work Works project, an ongoing initiative of Families and Work Institute, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce and the Twiga Foundation.

Recently, I listened in on a conference call presentation hosted by When Work Works that walked through a summary of the overall survey results and their impacts. The resulting benchmarking data report analyzed the survey response data and broke down the complex equation of what makes for a effective and flexible workplace and what it means to workers, businesses and their communities.

The report outlines the key elements of effective workplaces:

Job Challenge and Learning – Does my job let me use my skills and abilities on meaningful work?

Autonomy – How much say do I have about what happens on my job? Do I have the freedom to decide what/how to do my work?

Work-Life Fit – Do I have the support of my supervisor and my colleagues to balance the demands of my life on and off the job?

Supervisor Task Support – Is my supervisor supportive of my work challenges? Does my supervisor keep me informed of things I need to know to do my job well? Do I get recognition when I do a good job?

Climate of Respect and Trust – Can I trust my supervisor’s words and actions? Does my supervisor deal ethically with employees and clients? Does s/he seek information and new ideas from employees?

Economic Security – Am I satisfied with my earnings and benefits? Do I have career advancement opportunities?

Effective workplaces can make a difference through (a shortened list):

Better work:

• Higher levels of engagement
• Higher job satisfaction
• Higher probability for retention

Better health and well-being:

• Stronger overall health
• Lower frequency of minor health problems
• Fewer indicators of depression
• Lower general stress levels

Results that matter for employers:

• Enhancing innovation and creativity
• Increasing employee recruitment and retention
• Increasing customer satisfaction
• Increasing productivity and profitability
• Lowering health care costs

Results that matter to communities:

• Recruiting and retaining a multi-generational workforce
• Becoming “greener” businesses
• Promoting regional economic development
• Establishing the community as a good place to live and work
• Promoting entrepreneurial growth

Through all the data, the obvious bottom line emerges: Real workplace effectiveness adds up to one big triple WIN . . . a WIN for workers, a WIN for business and a WIN for the communities in which they live and work.