Is Your Organization Tackling or Avoiding These Nine Tough Questions?

The latest edition of Strategy+Business, contained a very interesting interview with Aetna’s CEO.  His move to increase Aetna’s minimum wage for 5,700 of its lowest-paid employees to $16/hour was part of a broader strategy to engage the Aetna company culture.  In the article, Bertolini said, “many of those who were concerned about the potential financial impact quickly became supportive when they came to understand the total magnitude of the enterprise impact, versus the benefits in employee satisfaction and retention.”

The article also highlighted the need to ask tough questions – to challenge conventional practices – and to create sustainable solutions that meet current needs without sacrificing longer-term opportunities.  So, here are nine questions I hope your organization has considered, dialoged about, and debated. If not, then recommend you start now.  The answers could become part of the organization’s lasting legacy.

How many of your employees:

1. Need to have a second job (full-time and/or part-time) in order to make ends meet?
2. Qualify for and/or depend on any type of government assistance to survive (food, childcare, healthcare, etc.)?
3. Don’t understand how to and/or are not saving adequately for the future (unexpected emergencies, college, retirement, etc.)?
4. Would voluntarily leave if the ‘right’ financial package were offered?
5. Actually ‘own’ a piece of the organization, so they see a direct benefit from dividend and stock price increases?
6. Commitment, effort, and loyalty is declining as minimal ‘people investments’ are made while the organization stockpiles cash, increases dividends, and buys back stock?
   
   And --
   
   
7. What does total turnover actually cost?  (Note: Aetna discovered their ‘accepted figure’ was nearly 3.5 times understated).
8. What percentage of retirees are sharing their work experiences and expertise with other organizations not yours?
9. If your organization had a critical need or crisis, then how many past employees (voluntary leaves and retirees) would not hesitate to return to help?

Every choice has a consequence – good or bad.  Asking tough questions can challenge us to avoid complacency, consider other options, reassess priorities, and ultimately grow.  Asking tough questions can also help us not rest on our past accomplishments and measurements of success.

So, what impact does your organization want to leave on employees and their families?  Is it forward thinking?  And, when did you not speak up and ask the tough question when you should have?  

High performing organizations both ask and tackle tough questions!