Answer: What do you do? And who do you work for?
This is a very personal question for most people in that it is one of the ways we define who we are in the world.
Many employers may feel this has no real importance to them. I was struck recently when I met a number of organisations who had set up joint venture companies for operational and back office employees to transfer to and deliver services to the parent company. They were surprised at the amount of interest and time they were required and perceived this as an unwanted diversion from what they were trying to achieve. Given how we like to be seen in the world perhaps this should not be such a surprise.
Work is such a big part of most people’s lives it is human nature to want to be proud of what you do and the organisation you work for. When making big changes in any employer taking this sense of pride away and/or ignoring it will be at your peril.
Feeling good about your job, employer and how you contribute to its success is a key to having a high performing and motivated workforce.
I am reminded of a saying I heard 25 years ago and is still true today for all employers, ‘you get the employee relations you deserve’