Employee engagement is a heavy topic thrown on the table at company meetings. Trying to juggle the balance of attending higher education classes and working a minimum wage job is an inevitable part of the lives of most young adults.
According to Eller College's Economic and Business Research Center, there has been an increase in pushing the use of professional and business services in the Tucson metropolitan statistical area. Since Sept. 2009, the percentage of businesses in the area developing personal development programs has increased by 7.3 percent as of last month, promoting these beneficiaries to create more effective workplaces in the eyes of college students.
In a survey conducted by multinational professional services network Deloitte, findings showed that 82 percent of respondents believe that culture is a potential competitive advantage. With Tucson business service engagement booming, there is no doubt that the minimum wage jobs can restrain from following the trend.
Incorporating competition in the workplace highlights the strengths of individuals and demonstrates the areas where the team could use improvement.
Full-time Pima Community College student and Chuck E. Cheese employee Thalia Cunningham spoke about her experience with competitive revenue-increasing activities that her manager has started. Having two cashiers working the front on a packed Saturday afternoon with seven birthday parties all at once can make work distressful.
"It's so funny to see how much of an impact this one thing has made on my work ethic. Our managers make it a competition for a free meal card on who can sell the most add-ons to their orders, such as cheese stuffed crust, and I suddenly get excited to work," Cunningham said.
Competitions are only one example of different tactics being used to promote a healthy corporate culture. Monthly meetings can serve as another source of employee relation empowerment strategies.
The pressure of maintaining in good academic standing at the University of Arizona and managing the customer service image for a retail store isn't exactly a weekend getaway in of itself. Forever 21 employee and full-time student Arlene Olguin said her scheduled work meetings have made employee relations cooperate on a smoother scale.
"We recently have been doing monthly meetings, which everyone thought they would dread. As time has gone on, we have come to realize that we actually have a more practical team when we put time aside to make sure everyone is getting things done and feels valued," Olguin said.
According to a new study from global staffing firm Robert Half, 35 percent of American workers say they would pass on the perfect job if they felt the company culture wasn't a good fit. Pima Community College student Maria Salazar agreed with the statement in regards to her job application process post-high school.
As a full-time catering assistant at Panera Bakery, she turned down other jobs where she might have only been seen as another cast member in the crowd. The culture being introduced to her within the interview process caught her attention, leading her experience at her job in the right direction.
"Being fresh out of high school, I knew it was going to be hard to find a job that would suit me well, as most are just jobs with basic training and little to no experience. I love working at Panera Bakery now and my coworkers make it feel less like the nine to five job that Americans dread," Salazar said.
In a nutshell, colleges students should seek a career with their ideal job culture rather than their ideal job description. According to Deloitte, 83 percent of executives and 84 percent of employees rank having engaged and motivated employees as the top factor that substantially contributes to a company's success. Whether it's sitting alone in an office or working together in a team, college students just need to find out what environment you thrive in.
