When asked what makes a good company runs smoothly, people often reply with good leadership and management coupled with good employees. But what, exactly, makes a good employee?
There are no specific definitions of what makes a good employee, but we agreed that these employees possess these types of qualities within them:
- Dedication
- Confidence
- Reliability
- Teamwork
- Independence
- Leadership
- Interpersonal/communication skills
- Self-awareness
- Integrity
So, how can companies attract these people? And most importantly, how can they ensure their loyalty?
After surveying over 20,000 workers worldwide, analyzing 50 major companies, and conducting and scouring academic research in a range of disciplines, it has been concluded that why someone works determine how well they perform. A 2013 study conducted on more than 2,500 employees found that reshaping the employees’ motives resulted in better performance.
One way of achieving better performance is by implementing a positive culture where integrity is highly valued. Integrity in the workplace comes in many fashions, but above all refers to having upstanding character traits and work ethics, including sound judgment, honesty, dependability, and loyalty. A popular definition is: Integrity is doing the right thing (through your words, actions, and beliefs) when no one is watching.
Having great integrity at work means that:
- You are trustworthy and reliable
- You practice and encourage open and honest communication
- You are responsible for your actions
Ultimately, integrity is based on values rather than personal gain.
Having integrity helps foster an open and positive work environment and an ethical approach to decision-making. Workplace integrity is beneficial to businesses, but it is also advantageous to the individual. By exhibiting traits of honesty and dependability, you’ll gain respect and trust from your colleagues and managers, which can also play a huge part in your career advancement, progression, and overall success.
Companies can help shape employees’ integrity by creating a corporate culture that boosts morale. Toxic corporate culture can create unnecessary competition and drive people away, decreasing productivity and performance.
Corporate culture is like corporate reputation, but it’s a more profound and subtle concept. It has nothing to do with advertising or marketing. Like a person’s character, it’s judged by actions more than words. Suppose your company sticks its neck out for a principle. It will then be seen as having integrity, just as you’re seen as having integrity when you stand up for the employee whom some other manager is scapegoating.
But what does that mean?
The most desirable managers and employees — intelligent, capable, and conscientious — can choose, to some extent, where they work, and they tend to choose to work for companies they identify with. A study of 306 store managers, 1,615 employees, and more than 57,000 customers of a women’s clothing retailer revealed that corporate culture is directly related to employee performance and indirectly related to customer evaluations and store performance.
So, is there still a reason why your company won’t prioritize a positive corporate culture transformation?
Source:
- Indeed Editorial Team. 2021. 9 Qualities of a Good Employee. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/good-employee-qualities
- Lichtenstein, D. R., et al. 2011. Employees Who Identify with the Company Boost Financial Performance. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2011/12/employees-who-identify-with-th
- McGregor, L. & Doshi, N. 2015. How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/11/how-company-culture-shapes-employee-motivation
- Michael Page Team. 2021. What is Integrity in the Workspace? Retrieved from https://www.michaelpage.com.au/advice/career-advice/productivity-and-performance/what-integrity-workplace