Why is it more valuable to have a safe background than a big salary?

Security or safety is one of the most basic natural human needs. Maslow, a well-known psychologist who established the hierarchical need pyramid, ranked it as the second level after the basic physical needs. But how much the workplace is responsible for employees’ security needs?

Jobs have a major influence on the lives of most people. They define our timetable and our activities in return for they secure our financial background. Jobs have an impact on our social relationships, our interest and our well-being.

It is easy to see that not feeling comfortable at work will affect all of the other aspects of one’s life too, and this will have a bad impact on their work and other colleagues in their environment.

Apart from financial benefits, jobs can provide predictability and stability to their employees, thus guaranteeing a sense of security. Employees are much more comfortable adapting to less pay, or to a bigger amount or more difficult work than unpredictability. This is true even if the latter does not cause any particular disadvantage.

Insecurity is a serious stress source, as it is practically a continuous sense of danger. The unpredictable workplace atmosphere, the lack of stability, generates constant tension in the employees who have to be constantly ready for the unexpected. This is a serious challenge in the short term, and after a long period of time it can lead to severe health problems. At the same time, jobs with predictable, stable backgrounds can give employees a sense of security that can also have beneficial effects on other areas of their lives. This makes work clearly more efficient, more effective, and strongly holds back fluctuation.

The basis for and at the same time the most important element of creating workplace stability and employee safety is the right communication.

This means, in essence, that everybody will be informed about issues affecting them and the expected changes  concerning them at all times. The goal is to make employees be informed about their work, to know their job description and workplace, so they will be able to put themselves in the right place of the system, and to know where to go and who to ask if they have questions. This way they will feel comfortable in their workplace and can adapt much more easily to possible changes.

To make this sense of security complete, you need predictable work organization. Transparent system, clear requirements, predictable work schedule and flexibility and openness taking into account workers' interests. By doing so, employees can look to their workplace as a safe background that they would not give to the uncertain benefits offered elsewhere.

If you want to know how important the sense of security for your employees, use the SHL Motivational Questionnaire! Sample from the Report Chart of our motivational questionnaire:

 

If you want to know whether your employees think about their workplace as a safe job and company or not, conduct a survey with SHL’s Corporate Culture Evaluation Tool!