Read on to find out from Cranfield University’s Steve Macaulay and David Buchanan what PURE stands for and how it could supercharge employee experience at your company.
Employee motivation seems to have declined since the pandemic.
The problem is that employers are still relying on theories that were developed last century.
To have an engaged workforce today, we need to focus on Purpose, Upskilling, Redesign of work, and Equity (or PURE).
Employee motivation is a problem for many organizations.
The polling company Gallup estimates that a disengaged workforce costs the global economy US$8.8 trillion annually in lost production.
What is going wrong?
The theories on which practice is based were developed last century.
Herzberg’s two-factor motivation theory; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; equity theory; the job characteristics model; the Tavistock Institute’s self-managing teams.
This century, self-determination theory argues that we want three things from work – autonomy, competence, and relatedness – but this is a repackaging of earlier ideas.
Recent thinking has given us ‘good work’ and ‘chief happiness officers’.
The former argues for enriched jobs with favorable employment conditions.
The latter pins the organization’s hopes for better performance on a single emotion; good luck with that.
Those theories were developed in social, economic, and technological conditions that were relatively more stable and predictable.
Four factors have upended that landscape.
1. Being unable to work during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have encouraged some employees to leave employment. We’ve had ‘Great Resignation’; why bother? There seems to have been a shift in values around the purpose of work.
2. Artificial intelligence and other new technologies are reshaping employment. AI takes over some tasks, but rarely your whole job. These systems augment or complement human capabilities, leaving us to do more interesting stuff – if we know how.
3. Hybrid working is another pandemic outcome. Many employees found that they liked the flexibility of working from home. But many employers want staff back at work.
4. Inflation has created a cost-of-living crisis, leading to calls for higher pay. But a lot of evidence suggests that, although pay is important, it’s a ‘hygiene’ factor, and not a motivator. Many of us will move to a more interesting job, even if the pay is lower.
In response to these developments, employee motivation has to consider Purpose, Upskilling, Redesign of work, and Equity – or PURE.
Employees today are looking for work that has meaning and purpose.
This takes us into the much-maligned area of mission statements. Does anybody pay any attention to these? Yes, if they make sense.
Walmart’s mission is: ‘To save people money so they can live better’.
The mission of the online fashion retailer ASOS is: ‘To become the number one fashion destination for 20-somethings globally’.
Now compare these with Disney’s mission: ‘To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products’.
And the Museum of Modern Art in New York: ‘To collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards’. Can you remember that?
The nature of work and mental health are related. Knowing that your work is meaningful, and serves a purpose, contributes to psychological wellbeing.
Give people a purpose that is clear, valuable, and memorable, and they will be motivated to support that purpose.
Many organizations are still figuring out how best to use AI.
Research suggests that people want to be brought up to speed with these tools, rather than resist them.
Developing tech skills ensures future employability. And demand will increase for the things that machines can’t do – soft skills.
We humans have advantages in forming relationships, leadership and management, emotional intelligence, creativity, and in asking AI the right questions.
The pandemic also demonstrated the need for flexibility, for stepping outside familiar but rigid roles – and this can also require new skills.
‘Quiet hiring’ – recruiting and promoting from within – is quicker and cheaper than recruiting new staff, and helps to retain business knowledge.
Upskilling your existing staff in tech and soft skills is not necessarily costly, and can strengthen commitment and motivation.
Hybrid working, popular during the pandemic, is now causing problems.
Some companies allow staff to work from home part of the time: Amazon, Citigroup. Others want staff back full time: Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan.
Tesla’s policy is, ‘If you don’t show up, we’ll assume you have resigned’.
There is no ‘one best model’. Hybrid designs need to fit individual employees, the nature of the work, and the demands of the business.
Failure to meet employee expectations will create recruitment, retention, and motivation problems. Employers need to offer a flexible range of work designs where possible.
Hybrid working can create a two-tier workforce.
I work from home, which helps my work-life balance, but you have to commute to the workplace, 9 to 5, every day.
I have been trained to use AI, but you are still in the same old job.
The perception that one is being treated unfairly is a major demotivator.
If you think that someone is getting more than you for the same work, then you will try to reduce the inequity – by putting in less effort.
Reducing inequity can be straightforward, with total rewards compensation programs. Meals and gym memberships, for example, can compensate for a lack of flexible working. It is not difficult to tailor rewards packages to individual needs.
To maximize the motivational effect, these four elements need to be implemented as a package deal.
Any one of these issues alone will have limited impact. Together, they create a motivating environment that meets individual and business needs.
The old theories of motivation are still helpful. We still want enriched jobs, autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
But staff also need Purpose, Upskilling, Redesigned working, and Equity.
To motivate employees today, think PURE thoughts.
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Emeritus professor of organizational behaviour
Emeritus Professor of Organizational Behaviour at Cranfield School of Management.
Learning development associate
Steve Macaulay is an associate of Cranfield Executive Development.
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