Customer Reviews

Values Shift the New Work Ethic & What It Means for Business

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Though pitched primarily to business leaders, anyone interested in the changing workplace will relate to this book. The authors do an excellent job of presenting their case: it's tough to find good employees who will stick around. Family, the economy, society, and technology have caused workers to re-examine their lives, and they're the ones now with the power.

So how do employers keep good employees? Learn about and listen to what employees want, and create a great place to work. The book outlines six expectations employees have: balance and synergy, work as a noble cause, personal growth and development, partnership, community at work, and trust. The major theme, though, is values: workers want a workplace they can believe in.

The authors present examples of companies across North America currently meeting (and often surpassing) their employees' expectations, to superb retention results. Quizzes at the end of each chapter help business leaders put what they've learned into action, and profiles of company leaders bring a human element in. CEOs, ignore this book at your peril: this is the future of work.

I had eagerly anticipated this book after having read John Izzo's first book, "Awakening Corporate Soul" co-authored with Eric Klein.

Many books on changing values and cultures often provide the reader with mostly theory, jargon and academic research. This book bridges the gap between theory and practice in a user friendly manner. The book is full of examples of companies and individuals making a difference in their workplace and relating this to the changing values of the workforce. It is an easy, captivating read.

This book has helped me understand the workforce in our organization better and in doing so has helped me to be a more responsive leader. However, this book needs to be shared with others in your organization. Every manager would do themselves well to have this book in their library.

Finally a book for organizations that is filled with stories of "right" practices! Izzo & Withers have successfully identified four of the natural forces facing today's world of work and six emerging values shifts based on generational differences.

An excellent tool for all HR professionals, leaders within organizations or consultants interested in developing the "best" in people and systems.

I would highly recommend this book as an addition to anyone's "favorite" bookshelf.

The authors don't just spout off about the soul of the company or it's core mission. The two get down to the nitty-gritty of what EMPLOYEES want and why employers should care. Sure, we want respect and excitement -- who doesn't. But Izzo, with eye-opening statistics and anecdotes, tells why we should get them at work and what happens when we don't. While the title might sound a little hoaky and esoteric, the examples are real and easily replicable for any big company that spends more than 20 bucks on retention efforts. There are hundreds of case studies and examples of how companies are creating community, having fun and still making a profit and staying productive. This isn't just another one of those "let's all get on-site massages at work and have weekly happy hours" books, it goes after more substantive changes in the company's character. Employees don't just want a nice suggestion box in the break oasis, they want to be able to tell management when they think an idea is stupid and not worry about losing their job. They want to leave work at 4:30, without signing out for a half-hour leave, when the phones aren't ringing, the kids are waiting and there's a big day ahead of them tomorrow.

The authors' focus on attitude gives small businesess something to copy as well. You can't afford a community center if you own a copy shop, but you can afford to do away with bureacracy, clock watching and micro-managing. You can afford to ask their opionons. You can afford to respect your employees and your customers. This book shows you how.

One drawback -- too many of the examples come from heavy hitters like Kinkos, Capitol One and Intel, make it easy to dismiss this value shift as too expensive.

Finally a book for organizations that is filled with stories of "right" practices! Izzo & Withers have successfully identified four of the natural forces facing today's world of work and six emerging values shifts based on generational differences.

An excellent tool for all HR professionals, leaders within organizations or consultants interested in developing the "best" in people and systems.

I would highly recommend this book as an additional to anyone's "favorite" bookshelf.

ARE YOU READY FOR THE SHIFT? (Your company's retention rate could depend on it)

SIXTH ON THE GLOBE & MAIL'S BEST BUSINESS BOOK LIST IN CANADA

Partnership. Balance. Synergy. Community. These are some of the values shaping the work ethic that is transforming the workforce. An understanding of this transformation is essintial for business leaders who want to attract and keep the very best employees.

VALUES SHIFT defines how and why our work ethic is changing, and it focuses on the six major shifts people expect from work. As well, if offers practical ideas on what companies and managers can do to retain and inspire the people they need and value.

Based on leading-edge research and experiences with more than 200 companies, John Izzo and Pam Withers help people understand these shifting values and highlight companies that are responding successfully.

"This book explores the six values in depth and offers some eye-opening examples of companies that have responded in innovative ways" NATIONAL POST

"Well written and informative!" WILLIAM BRIDGES, Author of JOBSHIFT and MANAGING TRANSITION

"As books on employee retention go, this one is a treasure...packed with inspiring examples of companies that are achieving retention against the odds; it's entire concept is groundbreaking." CANADIAN BUSINESS FRANCHISE