Save Your Employees from the Dark Side – Human Resource Lessons Learned from Star Wars
Through George Lucas’ storytelling, filmgoers have come to know Darth Vader as the epitome of evil. But as viewers learn from the latest Star Wars trilogy, underneath that intimidating exterior beats the heart of a man whose turn to the dark side was largely a result of his frustration with his former employer. What if the Jedi had an effective human resource program? Perhaps we would have seen Anakin chatting with Yoda over intergalactic eggnog at the Jedi holiday party, rather than Darth Vader bowing to the evil emperor in Revenge of the Sith.
(PRWEB) June 20, 2005 -- Through George Lucas’ storytelling, filmgoers have
come to know Darth Vader as the epitome of evil. But as viewers learn from the
latest Star Wars trilogy, underneath that intimidating exterior beats the heart
of a man whose turn to the dark side was largely a result of his frustration
with his former employer.
What if the Jedi had an effective human
resource program? Perhaps we would have seen Anakin chatting with Yoda over
intergalactic eggnog at the Jedi holiday party, rather than Darth Vader bowing
to the evil emperor in Revenge of the Sith.
So where did the Jedi’s HR
program go wrong? At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be a problem. After
all, the Jedi offer an excellent training program for new employees, surely
making them one of the galaxy’s employers of choice. Where else can you learn
how to wield your very own lightsaber and do Jedi Mind Tricks? They don’t offer
that type of training even at Microsoft.
Concerned for employees’
futures, wise companies are.
In Revenge of the Sith, we see that Anakin, now
a Jedi Knight, has become one of the Jedi’s “star employees.” However, even
though Jedi Knight is a highly respectable title, Anakin is unhappy regarding
his entry level status. He desperately wants to be promoted to Jedi Master
believing that this new title would bring him the respect that he feels he
deserves. What Anakin doesn’t seem to understand is that each Jedi Master has
years of solid experience and knowledge of The Force under his or her belt. As a
result of this disconnect, Anakin becomes increasingly frustrated and considers
another job offer.
“A Career Progression program could have helped in
this situation,” explained Michael Maciekowich, National Director, Astron
Solutions. “Building career paths lets employees know that they are moving
forward within an organization, giving them a sense of direction. Anakin would
have realized that the Jedi cared about his career growth, and that the
promotion to Jedi Master was an attainable goal, had there been a clear career
progression program in place.”
Communicate you must.
As the story
unfolds, we see that there is also a serious lack of communication between
Anakin and the Jedi’s upper management, the Jedi Council. In fact, Anakin
reveals to his wife that he feels lost and doesn’t believe that the Jedi Council
trusts him.
“The Council could have considered a First Impression
Survey, which is given to employees within their first few months of employment.
This is a crucial time to provide integration into the corporate culture,
encourage open communication, and let new employees know that you value their
feedback,” said Jennifer C. Loftus, SPHR, CCP, CBP, GRP, National Director,
Astron Solutions.
Offer great benefits, you should.
One major reason
why Anakin eventually turns to the Dark Side is because he believes that they
offer better “benefits” (and we don’t mean a good dental plan). The confused,
young Jedi is concerned that he is going to lose someone close to him due to
medical reasons, and believes that his new position will offer him the
“ultimate” in healthcare insurance. As he quickly learns, however, his new
employer wasn’t exactly truthful about the health coverage.
Perhaps the
Jedi weren’t clearly communicating their own benefit plan to Anakin. Increased
communication and attention to employee feedback could have helped in this
situation as well.
“When choosing from the vast array of benefit
offerings, it is important for HR professionals to analyze their employees'
needs. The Jedi Council should have asked their employees what standard and
voluntary benefits would be of most value to them and work to make those
benefits available,” explained Loftus.
It may be too late for Anakin /
Darth Vader, but it’s not too late to save your own employees from the Dark
Side. Remember, you don’t need The Force to make your team happy, just solid HR
programs.
Astron Solutions is a consulting firm dedicated to the delivery
of HR services and supportive technology. For more information about how we can
help your organization, please call Astron Solutions at 800-520-3889 or visit http://www.astronsolutions.com.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb251451.htm