Coddling Top Performers in Tough Times

It's a bad day when your most productive employees are the ones most likely to be unhappy about what the economy is doing to the workplace.

But according to a recent survey by Watson Wyatt and WorldatWork, "engagement levels" of high performers have dropped 25% over the last year, compared with 9% with other employees.

Just as bad, the number of people who said they would recommend that others accept jobs at their companies declined nearly 20%.

The reason top performers are disproportionately disgruntled may never have occurred to you. I think I have the answer.

It Takes a Village
Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg specializes in research on workplace stars. He is interested in what makes them tick, but also what makes them successful. And one of his key insights is that top performers rely on high-quality colleagues to bolster their work and deliver it effectively to clients.

So think about what is happening in your own business today. Star "A+" performers aren't being let go, but some B players are. Business resources are being cut as well. Suddenly the star is shining less brightly without his high quality support team, and that makes him less productive, more unhappy and more anxious to move along.

If your business relies on these rainmakers, it's time to sit down for a heart-to-heart and get at what is really eating them. It might be something as easily remedied as giving them back a budget for entertaining clients.

But you won't find out unless you ask. And if you don't ask, your competitors surely will.

Related Reading
The Key to Managing Stars? Think Team
(Star image by Maschinenraum, CC 2.0)