Job Satisfaction is Out; Happiness is In:  Help Your Employees Obtain Career Happiness

May 19, 2015, by Tam Campbell Trant | Work Environment and Policies

You work hard to keep things running smoothly at work, while managing a team of employees.  Some of these employees may be high-achievers who are goal-oriented, motivated and possibly identified as star performers.  Other employees, however, might need extra encouragement and reminders about staying on track.

Your team is likely comprised of people at different points in their careers, with different goals and career aspirations.  No matter how career-focused your employees are (or seemingly aren’t), it’s always a good idea to check in with them to find out if they are happy in their current role and to coach them to find the direction of their career. 

When you are having one-on-one weekly or monthly updates, it is worthwhile to check in with them to gauge how happy they are in their current jobs.  Go beyond asking them about work-related issues and ask them if this is where they had hoped to be in this point in their career, if they have achieved what they had set out to do, and what career goals they may be working on.   This is especially helpful for your star performers.  By keeping them engaged, knowing what additional roles and responsibilities they would like, and providing these extra opportunities, they will be more likely to stay on within your group and the company, rather than seeking the challenges they desire elsewhere. 

Ask open-ended questions and encourage your employees to talk.  You can ask: What does success look like for you? What decisions do you have to make to achieve your goals?  How will you know when you’ve achieved them?   Listen to what your employees are saying.  Reiterate what they are saying in your own words to show you were listening to them and to demonstrate your understanding.

Give your feedback, offer suggestions and provide encouragement and motivation.  However, it is important to facilitate the employee creating their own career goals and solving their own problems.  As the coach, propose a plan of action, which can be written by the employee and re-visited at future one-on-one discussions.  

When you ask your employees ‘are you happy with your career?’ and the answer is ‘no’, take the time to find out what will get them back on course.  Is it identifying a gap in skills and abilities related to their goals and developing those skills and abilities?  Is it adding responsibilities within their current job?  Is it finding a different role within the company?  Is it additional training or going back to school to open doors of opportunity?  Whatever it is, help them identify it and encourage them to make the commitment to work on it.  

Your role as their manager is to coach them and steer them on a path that is geared towards their abilities.  Your employees will appreciate the fact that you took the time to ask about their career happiness.  By asking, listening and letting your employees explore their career happiness, you’ll have a more satisfied team on your hands: a bonus while you continue to work on keeping things running smoothly.