Consider the Possibilities

The bedrock of most enrichment activities is learning. Yet, enrichment can take on many different forms. Remember to ask your talented employees what they’d like to do and how they’d like to do it. Here are some techniques that work if you are careful to match them to individual wants and needs:

• Form teams. Self-directed work groups can make a lot of their own decisions. They can redistribute work so that team members learn more, have more variety, and follow more projects through to completion.

• Touch the client. For example, a computer systems troubleshooter might be more effective knowing the needs of real people and units rather than responding only to problems as they occur. Assign one troubleshooter to one department (the client), and make her accountable for that client’s success in using the company’s computer system. It’s amazing how many employees never see their clients.

• Rotate assignments. New responsibilities can help an employee feel challenged and valued. Employees can acquire important new skills that add depth to the workforce. Do rotational assignments sound like chaos? Suggest the idea and let your employees propose the “who” and “how” part; you’ll be surprised at their expertise in making it happen smoothly.

• Increase feedback. Do more than annual reviews. Find ways to develop peer review and client review opportunities. Employees want to know about their performance, and continual feedback allows them to be their own quality control agents.

• Involve employees in decisions. Employees are empowered and motivated when they take part in decisions that have an impact on their work, such as budget and hiring decisions, or ways to organize work and schedules. Involvement allows employees to see the big picture and enables them to make a contribution they find meaningful.

• Nurture creativity. Untapped creativity dwindles. If employees rarely think for themselves, they lose the ability to contribute their best ideas. They simply go through the paces, undermotivated and disengaged. You can help by asking for and rewarding creative ideas, by giving employees the freedom and resources to create, and by challenging employees with new assignments, tasks, and learning.

• Teach someone. Teaching another person is motivational for many. If an employee has a particular niche or specialty and enjoys passing this knowledge on, you have a perfect win-win!

• Support enrollment in learning opportunities. German law provides for a Bildungsurlaub, five days off per year to participate in an approved training course. Training doesn’t have to be directly connected to a job as long as it is approved by the state. Although not many countries have a law like this, the idea of enriching a job via a learning experience is something any manager in any organization can explore.