Sowing the seeds of love in the workplace

Research shows that finding love is not easy

Beneath the surface, a significant proportion of employees are doubtful about their relationship with their organisation. The latest research from RedBalloon asked respondents to describe their relationship with their boss and their employer using ‘relationship terminology’ to see just how “in love” they really are.

One in five find 'love'

One in five employees admit they are “in love and completely happy” with their employer, one in four agree this is the case with their boss.  In comparison, a significantly larger proportion of employees are doubtful about their relationships. 40 percent of employees get along well with their employer but admit “it’s not love” and 50 percent feel the same about their relationship with their boss.

Like life, love also appears to grow stronger over time with employees who have worked for an employer for less than a year, reporting 19 percent “in love and completely happy” compared to greater than a year reaching 27 percent.

One in two are 'faithful', sort of.

When asked if they have been faithful in their current relationship with their employer, 21 percent confessed “Yes – I’m a cheater” with regards to searching and interviewing for other work. But there is even more flirting going on with 35 percent of employees responding with “I’m tempted, my eyes are beginning to wander”.

In the battle of the sexes it showed men to be the biggest cheats with 32% already having an affair (currently cheating), compared to 19 percent of women. Whilst the longer the relationship the more in love we are, but also we are 30 percent more likely to cheat.

Matt Geraghty Head of RedBalloon Corporate, says, “If employers don't capture the hearts and minds of their people - no amount of money will keep them long term. To be competitive in this economic climate you need to have a focused team of engaged employees who are there for the long haul.”

Geraghty says a common cause of discontentment between employees and their boss is lack of recognition. “One of the biggest challenges facing bosses in this busy world is delivering recognition in a timely, specific and personal manner to employees.”

“The first step in the process is to educate managers and team leaders on the role that recognition can play and how much of a positive and productive impact it can have on their people. The next step is then to make sure that individual managers have the tools to be able to provide recognition in a timely, consistent and personal manner “says Geraghty.

Relationship advice

According to the research, if employers are to improve their current relationship with their employees, Pay (19 percent) followed by Reward and Recognition(17 percent) are the top two best places to start.  Other drivers of change included Learning and Development (15 percent), Career Opportunities (14 percent) and Leadership Management& Vision (13 percent), Employee Benefits (12 percent) and Work life Balance/flexible hours (11 percent).

RedBalloon believe employers can create the love in their organisations by applying the same principles as they would to keep a great relationship going.

• Get to know your people: remember birthdays and anniversaries. Take note of their interests, hobbies and how they like to be recognised (face to face, handwritten notes, in front of peers etc.)
• Money can’t buy love: cash bonuses tend to disappear on bills, whereas non-monetary rewards don’t have to be kept quiet but enable the employee to share the experience with their friends and family. It’s all about creating memories and that’s what experiences give.
• Give regular praise: regular praise for the simplest of things strengthens a relationship through positive reinforcement.
• Have some fun: games are useful tools to keep people focused, through incentives, team building events, celebrations and reward programs.

Author: Kate Rolfe, RedBalloon

Date: 14/02/2011

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