America's job satisfaction has reached an all time low, a recent study concludes. This isn't just a recession-induced anomaly. Satisfaction has been dropping for more than two decades. Among the reasons cited is that fewer workers consider their jobs to be exciting, and the trend could stifle innovation, competitiveness and productivity.
Enter Dan Pink. He believes that employers are using all the wrong motivators with today's workers. Numerous social science studies have shown that to solve complex problems, the old carrot and stick approach does not work. Traditional pay-based rewards and punishments might produce results for straightforward, small scale assignments, but fail miserably for the kind of right-brain problems that many workers now face.
As Pink explains in his book and TED presentation, business must use the science of motivation to get the most out of employees in the new economy:
So what are these motivators that are proven to work? According to Pink, they are:
1. Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives.
2. Mastery: the desire to get better at something that matters.
3. Purpose: the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
As I see it, social media use in the workplace is vital to all three of these motivators:
1. Employees show autonomy through social media because they:
- Stay connected to their social and professional network.
- Share ideas and feedback with industry peers.
- Speak candidly about their company and its products/services (up to a point).
- Reach out to customers/clients/partners in an open environment.
2. Employees attain mastery through social media because they:
- Expand their knowledge base through peer networks and organizations.
- Are more attuned to competitors, innovations and trends.
- Enhance skills in areas such as customer service, branding and public relations.
- Drive innovation and improvement through crowdsourcing.
- Provide value and put others first.
- Champion the good works and higher goals of their employer.
- Are part of professional network that strives for excellence.
- Share thoughts, opinions and ideas that help others improve.
Sadly, a majority of companies ban social media use on the job. This is a shortsighted move that only helps to speed the adoption of smartphones (I know several people who use smartphones to get around strict workplace rules).
Companies can't and shouldn't try to stop social media use on the job. Forward thinking employers will turn social to their advantage as a tool to motivate, recruit and retain talent.
