As the work force moves from lifetime employment to upwardly mobile serial career, the challenges to retain your key knowledge workers grow. Knowledge workers bring real smarts, not brawn, to the workplace, and it’s clear that the 21st century American company is primarily a knowledge company.
So, what’s the secret sauce needed to both retain and manage today’s knowledge workers?
Motivators for Knowledge Workers
The primary motivators — the secret sauce — for knowledge workers are
- To be challenged intellectually,
- To develop professionally.
Knowledge workers are truly free agents, and free agents move to and stay where they feel wanted and can grow. Knowledge workers know that they need to look out for themselves because no one else will. They actively search for opportunities to grow professionally and increase their worth to the next employer.
Frequently, I hear three common complaints from non-partner/non-executive level employees, your knowledge workers.
- My boss doesn’t take the time to help me develop,
- I’m just given work and told to produce,
