Are You Meeting Employee Needs?

I  had a great conversation today with Dr. David "Doc" Vik, former culture coach at Zappos.  Vik, who is now an author (He has a new book out, "The Culture Secret:  How to Empower People and Companies No Matter What You Sell.")
We talked for an upcoming culture article that will highlight some of Vik's views on building a successful culture (see that article soon in SBM).  I did, however, want to share some of Vik's ideas on what employees need.  I have highlighted the three things he believes employees need.  See how your company stacks up:
1.  Purpose.  Employees today don't want to waste time.  They've seen their parents, family, friends, etc. work like dogs and then get let go in an instance.  So, today's employees don't want to waste their time.  They are looking for value.  They want to know that what they do matters.
2.  Autonomy.  They want some freedom to solve problems and help the company succeed.  They don't want to be micro-managed.
3.  Compensation.  They want to make a decent living. This certainly hasn't changed over the years.
Hit all three of these and your company won't have a problem attracting and retaining the best employees.  "If leaders don't think they have to focus on attracting and retaining the best employees in today's hyper competitive war for talent, they are living in the past," Vik said.  "The employees and customers of today have a choice and a voice.  Take care of your people, never stop innovating and leave customers wowed."
-Ron Ameln, SBM