The New Status Quo

 Lots of ‘soft’ initiatives are claimed to improve performance and productivity, often by increasing the motivation or satisfaction of employees.  These include  such things as reduced working hours, flexible working hours and wellness preogrammes.

These may indeed raise satisfaction and performance when first introduced. However, rarely do they last as motivational factors.  They simply become part of the fabric of the organisation, part of the infrastructure, a ‘back of the mind’ feature.

Over a relatively short period of time, they become the new ‘status quo’; they just ‘are’!

What’s needed is some programme of activity or intervention that constantly refreshes such initiatives, keeping them not only ‘fresh’ in the way they impact employees, but fresh in the minds of employees, maintaining their motivational effect.

So, if you are thinking of introducing such an initiative, please also consider the associated ‘refresh programme’ too.