Assignment 1ETH301W3 Assignment "Employer of Choice (EOC)"Business and SocietyEmployer of Choice (EOC)After reading both of the weekly readings Employer of choice: the new corporate imperative and T
W3 Lecture 2 "Employer of Choice"
Business and Society
Employer of Choice
During this lecture we will be identifying what an employer of choice is as well as what the employer of choice’s relationship to social responsibility is.
Let’s begin by identifying what an employer if choice is. While there is no one agreed upon definition, it is commonly used to describe an organization that is able to attract and retain talented employees because they choose to work there.
When people are looking for a job, they often first ask either themselves or friends if they already know of a good company around town hiring. Often times you either already know of one or someone your family or a friend says, “hey, my friend works for XYZ and they told me they love it there! They get this, they get that, they make good money, you should apply!” Then all you can think about is how you just have to work for XYZ because they are so great! It can happen that easily. More often than not it is a little more difficult to become an employer of choice, however, all it may take is a good word from a friend and you are sold on the company.
When a business becomes the employer of choice in a job seeker’s eyes, they will do what it takes to work there despite having other potential options such as other job offers, etc.
Sandy Asch is author of a great book I once read titled “Excellence at Work-The Six Keys to Inspire Passion in the Workplace”. In her book she discusses how employers can inspire, motivate and reward their employee’s and developed six ideas that employers can use to try to become an employer of choice. Below are her six principles for organizations to become an employer of choice, which we will discuss and break them down into their simplest terms:
Use their word wisely - Leadership should communicate with their employees with openness and honesty at all times.
Be accountable - Leadership should be proactive as opposed to reactive and must be committed to being honest without offering excuses.
Focus - When leadership focuses on their vision and goals, their employees will buy in to what they are doing and want to work hard for everyone’s success.
Mine the gold - Leadership should collaborate and cooperate with all levels of employees. An employee that feels their voice is being heard will be motivated.
Strive for balance – Leadership should encourage work/life balance for all their employees.
Lighten up – Leadership should not take themselves so seriously and should strive to bring laughter in to the workplace, even if it’s at their own expense.
Now let’s shift gears and discuss what the employer of choice’s relationship to social responsibility is.
There are many names for it, social responsibility, corporate citizenship, or just simply doing the right thing, organizations are now more understanding of the importance of social responsibility than they
were even five years ago. The simple fact is that when a business acts unethically and irresponsibly it makes newspaper and TV headlines, but when a company acts responsibly and ethically, it goes a long way to help the company build a brand that will last and that people will trust.
An organization’s reputation is directly tied to its commitment to social responsibility. This commitment extends out into the community, consumers notice it and it creates value for the organization and its products. Think about it for a minute, with all things considered equal, would you prefer to give your business to a company that hires people with disabilities or turns them away? Something else for you to think about is would you be willing to change to a brand that is associated with a good cause?
To conclude this lecture, the bottom line is that with as much competition as there is out there, consumers and job seekers are more frequently supporting businesses that improve the quality of life for their employees, their employees families, the community and society as a whole.
References
Rizzo, L. A., & J.D.. (2007, May 8). Six Principles for Becoming an Employer of Choice. Human resources management website - HR.BLR.com. Retrieved March 4, 2012, from http://hr.blr.com/whitepapers/HR-Administration/HR-Strategic-Planning/Six-Principles-for-Becoming-an-Employer-of-Choice/
Weekly Related Articles
Employer of Choice
http://web.archive.org/web/20121025103939/http://www.hrmreport.com/article/Employer-of-choice-the-new-corporate-imperative
Corporate Citizenship
https://hbr.org/resources/pdfs/comm/siemens/hbr_siemens_report.pdf
