Melina Murray

I am finally back in the blogging world!  After a (too) long break due to extensive travel, I realized that not only have I neglected my blog, I have a lot to say.  So, I will start with non-compete agreements.  

I don’t like non-compete agreements. 

While I understand the premise behind them, I find them to be controlling, restrictive and detrimental to a person’s professional growth.  Companies come and go, they grow and shrink- especially in technology (and, well, banking these days).  Using the threat of not being able to get a job in the same industry to retain an employee is the worst kind of retention.  

In addition, many non-competes are written so broadly, it is almost impossible to figure out what kind of job with what kind of company is possible. And while very broad non-competes are generally thrown out in some states, the fact a person would have to sue (and pay for the suit) to find a comparable job is astounding.  And then there is the idea of enforcing a non-compete with a laid off employee.  I don’t get it.

While I am not in favor of non-competes in general, I do understand and appreciate the need to protect a company’s intellectual property.  There are other ways to protect the information, and there are ways to write a non-compete that doesn’t prevent a person from making a living doing what they do best in a place they can grow, enjoy their work and contribute to the company’s success (assuming that is not with their current company).

What motivates your employees?  Do you know?  Do you ask?

I often ask friends and acquaintances if they love what they do. Some say yes, some say no, and some look at me like I have 2 heads. Whatever the answer, I ask “why?”.  For those who love what they do, I want to know what makes it great. For those who say no, I want to know why they stay.  Below is a sampling of the responses I get.

• I am get to take on projects that challenge me.
• My company pays well above the industry standard, I make a lot of money.
• I can work remotely.
• My company pays 100% of my health benefits.
• My boss encourages me to think up new projects, suggest improvements.
• I work with an awesome team.
• I can leave early to take care of personal stuff whenever I need to.
• While I tend to work long hours sometimes, the company takes care of meals and has a couch where I can take a nap.  Plus, at the end of a major project, my manager takes us all out to celebrate.
• We have a great training/education program.
• Our company really pays attention to hiring, so I work with a ton of cool people.

As you can see, the responses vary wildly. 

The ones who say “yes” are generally the ones who are able to learn, grow, do “cool things”.  These are the employees who enjoy coming into work each day, contributing and making a difference.

Those who say “no” (but are staying) are generally the ones who are motivated by the finances or benefits. Are these employees engaged?  Perhaps not in the same way as those who say “yes”, but if the work they produce is meeting the needs of the company, then it equals out.  For the short term at least.

 What this all comes down to is knowing what makes a difference to your employees and providing the flexibility, programs and structure to meet their needs.

Sometimes I read an article about a company and think, “Brilliant!! Phenomenal!  Every CEO and HR leader should read this and follow suit!“.Today was one of those days.  Thanks to Twitter, I came across this article from Harvard Business Publishing, Why Zappos Pays Its Employees To Quit- And You Should Too.  It is well worth a read, but can be summed up by the last paragraph: 

Companies don’t engage emotionally with their customers—people do. If you want to create a memorable company, you have to fill your company with memorable people. How are you making sure that you’re filling your organization with the right people? And how much are you willing to pay to find out?          

Someone I know has a close, but not direct, family member who was recently and surprisingly diagnosed with terminal cancer and has perhaps months to live. She was devastated, yet committed to helping out and supporting the rest of her family in any way possible through the initial emergency, surgery and diagnosis. Consequently, she showed up late to work a few times, and took some personal calls during “work time”. Her supervisor (large company) pulled her aside one day, fully aware of the circumstances, and told her the infractions were not acceptable and that her personal problems had no place at work.

My response was “want help finding a new job?”. She has since left the company.

Was she getting her work done? Yes. Was someone else burdened with picking up her work? No. Was her quality slipping? No, she was receiving positive feedback consistently. There was no reason to chastise this woman other than the fact she was not strictly working from 8 to 5.

What this did do was to deflate her morale and make her feel like the company didn’t care. And, like I said, she is no longer with this company.

I am a wee bit behind in my blog reading and just came across a link on HR World for an NY Times article that made my day. Using the Human Touch to Solve Workplace Problems

It is worth 5 minutes of your time to click the link and read the article. Showing some concern and care can reap lasting benefits.

This quote is what the article is really about:

“What it really comes down to,” he said, “is we’re trying to create the ultimate workplace. We believe you can do the right thing and be profitable.”

So, what little (or large) impact can you make in the life of an employee?