Engineering Inc. - May/June 2008 - (Page 17) It’s All About Attitude H ave concerns about your benefits package? Got an idea for a corporate outing? Fed up with having to wear a tie to work? Just plain unhappy? If you work at Sargent & Lundy, your boss wants to hear about it. When the Chicago-based firm decided several years ago to create a place online where employees could make suggestions about how to improve life at the office, the thinking was simple: Motivate your employees by making them feel valued. Company executives say the feedback— good or bad—helps them shape the firm’s culture. What’s more, at a time where good talent is increasingly hard to find, it enables them to stamp out potential problems before they can sap morale. “Having your employees engaged is critical,” says Pamela Petrich, Sargent & Lundy’s vice president of human resources. “There’s a lot of employee involvement. This is a tool that’s very much at the forefront of the upper management of the company. And employees are encouraged to use it.” A lot of engineers might be wary of openly criticizing their employer, especially MAY / JUNE 2008 By Kim Fernandez Involvement, communication keys to improving workplace morale John Foxx/Getty ImaGes when those in charge might hear about it. But Sargent & Lundy wants its people to say what’s on their mind. “Engaged employees are employees who are motivated, who care about their jobs and who care about their employers,” says Petrich. “And we’re constantly looking for ways to keep our employees connected to the organization.” That, experts say, is the right move, especially as competition for top-flight engineers heats up throughout the industry. “There’s a major talent shortage, especially in engineering and the sciences,” says Beverly Kaye, author of Love ’Em or Lose ’Em: Getting Good People to Stay and Up Is Not the Only Way: A Guide to Developing Workforce Talent. “Any company that thinks the atmosphere or the culture of the company doesn’t count is making a big mistake,” ENGINEERING INC. 17
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