Q: As an employee what do you expect from your employer?

Answer: Both employer and employee are responsible to run an organization systematically and
successfully. Both the parties play a vital role in an organizations progress. As the employer
expects top performance, sincerity, hard work and better participation from his/her employees,
an employee also expects something in return. To get the motivation and inspiration to work
effectively and with consistency, the employer must meet up the needs and expectations of
his/her employees for better output from them. To achieve the organizational goals and visions,
an employer must give priority to the expectations and needs of his/her employees.

As an employee, I may have both tangible and intangible expectations. It may include
physiological need, safety need, social need, esteem need (based on Maslows hierarchy of
needs) etc. As an employee I may expect that my employer will pay me on-time and provide at
least minimal benefits, providing tangible proof that I have been gainfully employed. I may not
only expect a fair salary and minimal benefits, I may also look for fair treatment, a safe working
environment and the inspiration to become fully engaged in my work from my employee. Here I
am briefly going to discuss some of the major facts that an employee can expect from the
employer.

A Better Pay Scale:

As an employee I may expect a good amount of salary based on my job position, effort and
level of contribution for the organization. If an employer does not provide the expected
salary, the employee might get de-motivated and start doing poor performance which will
hamper the organizations progress.

Minimum benefits along with the salary:

I may expect other benefits and facilities along with the salary which will motivate me to
focus and concentrate on my job and perform even better. It can include reward for better
performance, insurance policy, professional training programs, free medical services,
transportation facilities, commission based on target etc.
 Respect:

An employer might publish its code of conduct in the employee handbook; however, it's
probably safe to assume that employees don't refer to it each time they encounter a
supervisor's questionable behavior or actions. A written code of conduct isn't a requirement --
employees have the right to expect that their employers will treat them respectfully because
to do otherwise would be unprofessional and inhumane. Employees also expect that
employers give them the respect they deserve for contributing their talents and skills to the
organization. Respect isn't one-sided. The respect that employees should expect from their
employers is based on the unwritten social contract between an employer and the employee
and is, therefore, an employer's expectation as well.

Equal Treatment:

Employers should provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees.

Translated, it means that organizations must adhere to anti-discrimination laws that prohibit
unfair employment practices based on non-job-related factors, such as race, national origin,
religion and sex. Aside from the legal mandates, employees should expect employers to treat
workers fairly and apply workplace policies consistently. Many of the federal anti-
discrimination laws apply to companies that employ at least 15 workers; however, employees
who work for the smallest companies with only a handful of workers have the same
expectations for fair treatment as employees who work for large conglomerates.

Safety in Workplace:

Employers have an obligation to provide a safe working environment, which means

employees have a right to expect that they won't encounter workplace violence, be exposed
to misuse of hazardous chemicals or machinery, and that they won't risk their lives simply by
coming to work. Granted, there are occupations where employees face significant risk for
injury, such as protective services jobs in police and fire departments. However, employees
expect that they can work collaboratively without worrying that they'll face threatening acts
or unsafe conditions in the workplace.
 Communication:

The mantra that human resources leaders profess is that employers should provide their
employees with the tools necessary for success. Starting with an accurate, up-to-date job
description that contains the primary job functions, employees need to know the employer's
performance expectations so they can have a shot at meeting and possibly exceeding those
expectations. Employees generally have an intrinsic desire to do good work, but without their
employers' communication, input and guidance, success eludes employees and creates an
unnecessarily challenging work environment. Therefore, employees' expectations include
providing them with unambiguous communication and clear direction on their job duties, as
well as rewarding employees' performance accordingly.

Recognition:

Often confused with employee rewards -- which are tangible incentives -- employees should
expect recognition from their employers. Employee recognition is the least expensive way to
motivate and retain workers. It doesn't cost anything to write a handwritten note to say "thank
you for a job well done." Nor does it cost the employer to recognize an employee's expertise
by providing her with the opportunity to flourish in an advanced role with the company.
Management consultant Frederick Herzberg associated employee recognition with
motivation in his two-factor, motivation-hygiene theory. Author Leigh Branham discovered
that workers expect recognition and feedback, factors that are high on the list of reasons why
employees left for jobs elsewhere. Branham studied more than 19,000 exit interviews and
surveys from 1999 to 2003 before he documented his findings in his book titled, "The 7
Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It's
Too Late."

Employees want purpose:

An employer should not assume that a hefty paycheck and regular bonuses are the most
important things to his/her employees. They want to know that what they're doing on a daily
basis has some purpose behind it. What people want most is the chance to make a difference.
When an employee has a chance to have his/her ideas heard and one of them actually gets
implemented, it gives him/her a good amount of boost.

Set goals for the employees:

To instill a sense of purpose in the employees, the employer needs to be sure to lay out a
clearly-defined set of goals for them on a regular basis. The goals have to be very
measurable, obtainable goals. For the sales team, for example, that might mean setting a goal
as to the number of deals the team is expected to close in a certain period of time for a certain
amount. Once goals are in place, it is up to each team to decide how to achieve them.

Sense of responsibility:

Sometimes the hardest part of being an employer is delegating, but employees crave for
his/her trust, and with that trust, should come responsibility. As an employee I should have
the feeling that I am responsible for my deeds and given the power to work on a certain issue.
It will make me feel motivated and inspired to work as I have been given importance through
my responsibility.

Flexibility of work:

In addition to decide how an employee works, an employee may also appreciate having a say
over when they work. As an employee I may look for flexibilities in my work such as
convenient work shift, a floor for my suggestions or recommendations etc.

Opportunities for Innovation:

Employees need to be given a chance to bring about something new and exciting. Just asking
people for ideas doesn't create innovation. It's a culmination of creativity and leadership. An
employer might not be able to give his/her employees this much time on the clock to work on
side projects, as an employee I can always foster innovation through employee brainstorming
sessions that allow me and other employees to work with new people and generate fresh
ideas.
Conclusion:

These are the expectations that I may have from my employer. An employer must provide
these facilities and benefits to his/her employees to keep them motivated and make them
inspired to perform better and better gradually. If an employer fulfills the minimum needs
required for the employees, he/she will obviously get better output from the employees and
organizational development will gradually occur. It will also help the employee to achieve
the organizational goals and establish the vision of the organization. As a result there will be
a great bond/relationship between employer-employee which may lead to mental satisfaction
in the workplace, which will help the employees to take ownership of their duties and make
the employer feel confident about the employees and will also make optimistic about
organizations performance and output.