Employees want to be involved in the company, and they want to feel like they are moving up in the company structure. According to the March 6, 2006 issue of "Fortune" magazine, the two reasons high-performance employees give most often for job changes are "I didn't fit in" and "I was going nowhere." When employees feel like they have some input and their complaints are listened to, they are more likely to take an active interest in the company and in their work. It is also crucial that employees feel like they are making progress in a company. "Fortune" also reports that several small pay and grade increases in a year are more likely to feel like progress than one large annual increase. A long spell without advancement can spark the beginning of an employee's search for a new job.
Companies used to discourage overly personalized work spaces and worker socialization. Smart companies now encourage these activities, which cost the company nothing and enhance the work environment. A happy worker is a hard worker; it just makes sense to want to keep a job you enjoy. Nobody wants to leave a job she shares with friends. A worker is also more likely to stay late and come in on the weekends if the workplace is pleasant. Friendship, the maintenance phase of any relationship, includes a worker's relationship with fellow workers and with his boss. It is a lot easier to develop team spirit among people who enjoy each other's company.
Each person's work-life balance is different. A parent with small children may want to be home in the evenings and occasionally needs time off for a doctor's appointment, school play, or important soccer game. A single person might want to take off early on Fridays. Some people would really like to come in at 10 a.m. and stay an hour or two later in the evening, and others want to work at home as much as possible. If the company accommodates these varied preferences, employees are unlikely to leave and take a chance on a more rigidly clocked job elsewhere. In many cases it does not really affect the company what hours are worked, as long as the work gets done.