As Armstrong (2014) notes, employees mainly expect a ‘fair day’s pay for
a fair day’s work’ and they want a say in their terms and conditions of the
employment plus how the work is organized for them. Other expectations included
but not limited to employment security, good working environments, health and
safety of the workplace and the possibility to raise and resolve conflicts (Armstrong,
2014). Gennard and Judge (2005) state that employees always lookout for the
best available package of monetary and non-monetary conditions available in the
market.
Accordingly, the monetary components include,
- Salary rates
- Hours of work
- Paid holidays
- Pension schemes
- Sick pay arrangements
- Incentive schemes
- Childcare facilities and flexible working arrangement opportunities
According to Gennard and Judge (2005), the
non-monetary elements include items such as,
- The employment safety
- The ability to work in a friendly environment with good coworkers
- Possibility for career progression and promotions
- Opportunities to upgrade skills and gain new skills through training and development
- Being treated by the employers as a human being, not merely as a commodity
- The level of control over the job and job satisfaction in related to job design
- Employment policies that are family-friendly and allow work-life balance
- Fair and steady treatment by managers comparative to other employees
- Being able to make an influence on the day-to-day operations at the workplace and at policy level
As per my own experience over the past few years in interviewing people
for various posts, people tend to ask questions about both monetary and
non-monetary topics. However, I noted most of the junior people are more concerned
about monetary questions, but more experienced people always check about the non-monetary
aspects as well.
In terms of employers’ expectations, it’s
basically the employers want employees to perform what they are being advised
without costing too much for them. Also, employers usually define their own
terms for how they want engagement and commitment to be with employees (Armstrong,
2014). For example, the company I work for is an Australian based IT company
and we always issue clear instructions about what’s been expected from an
employee in their appointment letters. Also, there are common guidelines and
terms defined for everyone in the office which is accessible through our
company intranet portal.
Further, Gennard and Judge (2005) explain
employers expect their employees to provide below in return depending on their
talent and nature of the job,
- Flexibility between their work tasks
- Minimum standards of capability in the task for which they are being hired (as expressed in qualifications, training received and employee’s experience)
- A willingness to change in terms of aptitude and adaptability
- Capability to work as a member in a team environment
- A capability to show inventiveness with work when needed
- Ability to give discretionary effort
- A provable commitment to the organization’s objectives
According to Mullich (2019), employers and
employees are regularly on different pages when it comes to workplace
expectations. Employees are much less overwhelmed by the efforts they put in
while employers believe they are doing a good job managing that. For example,
only about a third of workers in the United States give their employers high
marks for career development (Mullich, 2019).
Mullich (2019), further explains that HR professionals can tighten
employer-employee relationships by leaving a one-size-fits-all method used to
manage talent, this approach could humanize the real work experience. For
example, large multinational companies can adapt talent management based on the
needs of their local/regional workforce. Also, they highlight the fact that they need to stress why employee’s work matters which will also help close the gap.
One other important thing is keeping your hiring promises (Mullich, 2019). For
instance, salary or rewards will concern the employees to a certain level where
they will need to find better tools or resources to understand what’s been
offered in the market. However, when it comes to attracting and retaining
exciting talent, money won’t be the only factor because organizations also need
to recognize the importance of work done by the employees as well as the
relationship with direct managers (Mullich, 2019).
Xesha et al. (2014), described the factors
affecting job satisfaction vary from day to day and from one employee to
another, but include the following,
- The nature of the job (the activities involved, and the work creates excitement and challenge)
- The compensation levels
- The perceived equality of the company's promotional system
- Working conditions quality
- The style of management
- Workplace social relationships
In addition to contributing to a general sense of
personal well-being, job satisfaction is perceived to be associated with a
positive attitude towards work and increased productivity (Xesha et al., 2014).In a country that makes up its culture, the
powerful values and beliefs are also considerable influences on the
expectations and behavior of both employees and management. Such assumptions
influence the nature of the psychological contract and the employment
relationship and some management strategies will be considered legitimate in
this context while others are not (Leat, 2007).
Research report done on Employee Job Satisfaction
and Engagement by (SHRM, 2017) is listed below in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement
Source:
(SHRM, 2017)
As per the research report, employees believe “respectful
treatment of all employees at all levels” is 65% very important but
compensation/pay is only 61% very important.
References
Armstrong, M. (2014). Armstrong's
handbook of human resource management practice. 13th ed. London: Kogan
Page, p.406.
Gennard, J. and Judge, G. (2005). Employee
relations. 4th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development, pp.14-16.
Leat, M. (2007). Exploring employee relations. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, pp.309-310.
Leat, M. (2007). Exploring employee relations. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, pp.309-310.
Mullich, J. (2019). ADP BrandVoice: How
To Close The Gap Between Employer And Employee Expectations. [online]
Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adp/2018/03/27/how-to-close-the-gap-between-employer-and-employee-expectations/#6dec207f20cf [Accessed 02 October 2019].
Shrm.org. (2019). [online] Available at: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/2017-Employee-Job-Satisfaction-and-Engagement-Executive-Summary.pdf
[Accessed 02 October 2019].
Xesha, D., Iwu, C., Slabbert, A. and Nduna, J. (2014). The Impact of Employer-Employee Relationships on Business Growth. Journal of Economics, [online] 5(3), pp.315-316. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271849361_The_Impact_of_Employer-Employee_Relationships_on_Business_Growth [Accessed 3 Oct. 2019].
Xesha, D., Iwu, C., Slabbert, A. and Nduna, J. (2014). The Impact of Employer-Employee Relationships on Business Growth. Journal of Economics, [online] 5(3), pp.315-316. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271849361_The_Impact_of_Employer-Employee_Relationships_on_Business_Growth [Accessed 3 Oct. 2019].
I agree with above comments. Further following factors such as; personal life, work life balance, appreciation and remuneration too influence in fulfilling employees expectations (Quadrant1, 2016).
ReplyDeleteThank you for the highlight, specially the employee appreciation. According to McConnell (1993), researchers have recognized “full appreciation of work done” as employee needs number one on the list. He further state that we pay only little attention to the workers need for appreciation and recognition which needs improvement.
DeleteA study by the Jackson Organization (Cooper, 2012) demonstrates that companies that effectively value employee value enjoy more than three times the return on equity and return on assets. The attractive employer's brand is important because the basic intent of the employee has changed—employee recognition and attachment to the organization, intention to leave, and how effectively they use their discretion. As a result, the attractiveness of employers is increasingly becoming a “hot topic” in the business press, with many organizations around the world focusing on an attractive employer or the best place to work or the concept of best employer status.
ReplyDeleteYes Sahan, Total rewards apply to all that employee's value in the employment relationship (i.e., all an employee gets as a result of working for the company) (The WorldatWork handbook of compensation, benefits & total rewards, 2007).
DeleteFurther to your discussion regarding bridging the gap between employee needs and employer expectations, Woods (2013) suggests creating an effective work environment that both employees and employers want to invest in by proactive alignment of business targets with employee capabilities. This can be achieved by defining clear objectives, quantifying peak performance investments and creating cultural jargon for individual and organizational effectiveness (Woods, 2013).
ReplyDeleteFurther to this, Armstrong (2006) explain the concept which highlights the fact that unarticulated assumptions take the form of employee / employer expectations. Therefore, disappointments on the part of both management and staff may be inevitable. Nonetheless, such disappointments can be alleviated if management understands that one of their key roles is to manage expectations, which means clarifying what employees think they can achieve, the skills they should have and the principles they should maintain. And it's not just about articulating and stipulating these requirements, but about discussing them with individuals and teams and agreeing with them (Armstrong, 2006).
DeleteSo how can companies close the employee-employer expectation gap? Compensation, for example, is critical that employers need strong benchmarking resources to consider what their market and rivals are paying.However, revenue is not the only variable that recruits and retains talent. Organizations also need to understand the emphasis workers put on their own jobs, on their hours, on time off and on their direct management relationships (Mullich,2018)
ReplyDeleteYes Indika, No employment relationship occurs in a vacuum, and it is important to realize that the relationship is affected by a variety of contexts within which it occurs. One of these is the legal context and the contract between employee and employer is legally enforceable at the level of the individual, the arrangement between employee and employer is legally enforceable. It has also been proposed that a psychological contract may be viewed as the employment relationship (Leat, 2007).
DeleteAgreed. According to (Blau, 1964; Gouldner, 1960) negative and positive attitudes of an employee depends on the organisation. there should be mutual understanding and a relationship between the employee and employer at all times.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Shakir. While important changes in the attitude and approach of management to employee relations can be identified, this is not to deny that there has been little (and insufficient) change in the way management handles employee relations (Blyton and Turnbull, 2003).
DeleteAgreed with the article while adding to this Employer want someone that is dependable, responsible, values their job and will excel at the workplace. According to surveys many employers willing to get qualified employees. Employees are expecting the following qualities from employees,
ReplyDeleteIntelligent
Ability to work on time
co-operation ability
Initiative and creativity (Sloka et al., 2015).
Thanks for the highlight. Competitive and qualified labor force is one of the most critical success factors of each industry and the ways and means of obtaining it are researched worldwide from different aspects and angles on all continents (Mauer & Cook, 2011).
DeleteAgree with comments further elaborating on employer expectation according to Knight & Yorke, (2003) based on the views of different authors on the personal qualities of young employees shows that employers expect their new colleagues to be competent, educated, motivated to learn, to have good communication and good teamwork skills, as well as to work under pressure, show commitment, sensitivity, and so on.
ReplyDeleteYes Mizni, employer expectations on new employees can be different. Anyway, employees should play an active role in maintaining a good employer relationship, recognizing that both employee and employer are part of the same team. Employers expect employees to be trustworthy and committed to the company. Employees also have to support themselves and the employer. Employees should play an active role in maintaining a good employer relationship, understanding that both employee and employer are part of the same team. Employers expect employees to be trustworthy and loyal to the organization. It is also very important to cooperate with the employer and coworkers. Employees cannot always expect to know that there is a problem for the employer. Employees should be able to discuss issues and expected to receive input. A positive attitude can improve any situation, and it creates a productive working environment. A good employee has a number of desirable characteristics and qualities and uses them (Ricketts and Ricketts, 2010).
DeleteAgreed, When the parties’ expectations match each other, performance is likely to be good and satisfaction levels will be high. So long as the values and loyalty persist, trust and commitment will be maintained
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Further, It is important to realize that people have their own needs and requirements, unlike other resources, which may or may not be aligned with the needs and requirements of their employer. They may exercise their right to leave if they feel that their expectations are not being met. Failure to meet the psychological expectations of employees will lead to a deterioration of commitment and confidence, a decline in performance and ultimately a high turnover of employees (Loosemore, Dainty and Lingard, 2003).
DeleteAgreed with this, The mismatch of employer employee expectations is a common problem for Sri Lankan businesses. It has been found that the skills provided by the Sri Lankan university system tend to not meet the expectations of the business firms. Lack of realistic knowledge on the labour market is another existing issue. This has created a considerable number of unemployed graduates in Sri Lanka. The education system need to train undergraduates to meet the employer requirements discussed by you (Weligama & Seingthai, 2003)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Namal, it is applicable for all of us. Armstrong (2012) explains expectancy theory which states that motivation to perform will be high when people know what to do to receive a reward, expect to be able to receive the reward and expect the reward to be worthwhile. Motivation is only possible when there is a clearly defined and functional relationship between success and outcome, and the result is viewed as a way to meet needs.
DeleteHi Anjula, A very good post.
ReplyDeleteSchein (1988) is largely responsible for this notion of a psychological contract and his suggestion was that between employer and employee there exists an implicit contractual relationship which is derived from a series of assumptions on the part of employer and employee about the nature of their relationship. These assumptions may not be legally enforceable but they constitute a set of reciprocal arrangements and form the basis for a series of expectations that may have a considerable degree of moral force
Yes Thilana, Schein (1988) was someone who first identified the psychological contract. While Schein acknowledged that behavior can be influenced by the psychological contract, he did not anticipate how to leverage it to improve performance. A small number of business organizations are now using the psychological contract to influence and shape the behavior of the organization and, in turn, the performance of the business (Wellin, 2016).
Delete