Many factors influence employee motivation including culture, responsibilities, and compensation. Historically, employees weren’t too concerned about work satisfaction and emotional wellbeing, as long as they were getting paid. As the workforce has shifted to younger, creative and technologically literate people, the expectations of both employees and employers are changing rapidly. While income still correlates to a person’s life evaluation of how well they’re doing, it doesn’t correlate with their feeling of emotional wellbeing. As employees start to value their emotional wellbeing and happiness over compensation, aware employers have the opportunity to hire excellent employees as long as they pay attention to their work environment including job responsibilities and culture. Almost half of young employees, particularly in the creative and technical fields, are likely to quit their job within the next two years. The main reason for this trend is that millennials want diversity, flexibility and a positive corporate culture in their workplace, and are willing to forego higher income to get a job with a better culture fit for them. Creative talent and skilled employees simply don’t want to work in corporate America, and if you want to hire the best talent, you need to take a look at your corporate culture. So why is the corporate culture fit more highly valued than a salary and benefits? Typically, employees will be more productive if they feel they can engage with their boss in a relaxed and friendly manner, instead of being anxious and afraid of making mistakes. A good corporate culture allows employees to suggest new ideas or offer suggestions in which processes may be improved. Many CEOs are putting special emphasis on spending time with employees on all levels to ensure that employees feel comfortable. Flexible working hours, the ability to work from home, and encouraging interesting attire helps reduce stress levels and improves the quality of life of your team. Employees that are satisfied with their jobs are the ones that are more likely to be motivated, productive and willing to work harder to solve problems and satisfy your customers. Compensation is important, particularly when it comes to recruitment, but ultimately, a good culture is what will ensure that your excellent employees will stay with you.

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About Rory Brown: Mr. Brown is a Managing Partner of Nicklaus Brown & Co. and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ad Genius, Goods & Services, and Nearshore Technology Company. He works with management teams and experienced leaders on sales and marketing, technology, and strategic initiatives. Mr. Brown received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Charleston, SC and is a Certified Public Accountant.