Correlating the heart and mind of the employee by helping him/her identify his/her life interests is the secret behind the employee retention. This is otherwise called as job sculpting. The article looks at various aspects of this job sculpting.
In the context of career development values refer to the rewards (both pecuniary and non-pecuniary) people seek from their job. While most seek monetary rewards, there are others who may seek challenge, prestige and the thrill of the journey into the unknown. People with similar abilities may pursue, different career, based on their values. People seldom take up a job that does not conform to their value system.
It often happens that people choose a particular job because they possess the ability and are lured by the rewards even though their life interests are inconsistent with the job. After the initial honeymoon period is over, they become disillusioned and loose interest in the job. They either quit the job or become suboptimal performers on the job.
What are these "life interests?" Butler and Waldroop describe life interests as "long held emotionally-driven passions, intricately entwined with personality and thus born of an indeterminate mix of nature and nurture." It is not uncommon to encounter people who display a remarkable commitment to the job and such commitment bear no relevance to the pecuniary compensation structure of the organization. The happiness in the job, or what is commonly understood, as job satisfaction accrues from conducive environment of the organization that fosters and nurtures the life interests of the individual. |
