Motivation and Good Will Toward Men

In October, the Best Bosses were announced in FORTUNE Small Business. The article, written by Elaine Pofeldt, discusses the use of innovative strategies and rewards to motivate employees.

Here is a description of the study:

"Winning Workplaces is a nonprofit in Evanston, Ill., that helps small-business managers improve their communication skills to make workers more productive and happier.

It assembled a team of respected judges, who culled the 80 applicants by looking at factors such as employee satisfaction ratings and by interviewing workers. The result? Eighteen Best Bosses - 17 from commercial companies and one from a nonprofit."

In the article 5 of the Best Bosses' strategies are featured. The following are quotes in regard to three of the featured bosses:

-- "To ease the stress on the 300-member staff of his public accounting firm, president Richard Caturano offers workers free gourmet dinners and Saturday lunches during the busy season.

For those who don't have time to fuel up at home, there is a year-round, complimentary breakfast buffet with free espresso. A concierge service handles staffers' errands, such as picking up dry cleaning, laundry drop-offs and visits to the auto shop.

And when employees do have spare time, the company makes it easy for them to give back to the community. It provides free or low-cost access to charity events. Perhaps it is not surprising that the company is so generous to its team. It is 100% employee-owned."

-- " What's the best way to keep a young company in the fast lane? Weston, co-founder and CEO of Rackspace Managed Hosting, based in San Antonio, hands top performers the keys to one of his cars, a BMW M3 convertible, for a week. Finding creative ways to recognize the stars on his 1,000-employee staff has helped Weston grow annual sales to $139 million at seven-year-old Rackspace, which hosts web applications for other firms.

"I think it's one of the biggest bargains in business," Weston says. "If you gave somebody a $200 bonus, it wouldn't mean very much. When someone gets to drive my car for a week, they never forget it."

For extra recognition, he offers workers the use of a guest house he owns on the Comal River in New Braunfels, Texas, where the water is 72 degrees year round.

"You know if you work hard, Graham sees it and will take care of you," says David Bryce, 34, vice president of customer care at Rackspace. "You don't have to worry about fighting for yourself to get what's 'due' to you. It's not a lot of fun working for a boss who doesn't give you a raise unless you ask for it."

Weston also offers flexible arrangements for employees working through personal problems. When Bryce, who joined Rackspace in 1999, was struggling to cope with a divorce, Weston offered him several months of paid leave, which he gratefully accepted. "I would do anything for Graham," he says."

-- "It's just as tough for employees to stay competitive in the marketplace as it is for companies. To help his 850-member staff keep their skills sharp, David Williams, CEO of this database marketing agency, requires them to take classes on subjects such as computer programming, business writing, public speaking, and best practices in their field at the firm's The Merkle Institute of Technology, founded in 1990.

Classes are taught by their colleagues, offering lots of opportunities to cross-pollinate ideas with folks in other departments. Classes don't cut into employees' personal time, because they are scheduled during business hours.

To make sure the firm's commitment to employee-education is clear, Williams requires each member to earn a certain number of credits and, in some cases, to teach a certain number of hours to be eligible for an annual raise. The firm, which is 80% employee-owned, holds him to the same standard."

As discussed in class we are (in the United States, specifically) living in a service-oriented work environment. Service, though, is no longer just assumed to the customer. Service takes place for and amongst employees and employers. Motivational techniques that are genuine and honest raise employee empowerment and morale. The aforementioned motivational strategies can and should be employed in library settings. But, perhaps, taking it even further, good nature and encouragement shouldn't always and only be considered as motivation... But, also, part of our community's behaviors.