RAREFACTOR

Enjoy@Work

RAREFACTOR: this article explains the RAREFACTOR in a practical way. After reading you will understand the basics of this powerful management tool.

Introduction

More than 20 years of research by Great Place to Work Institute, San Francisco revealed that it is the nature of relationships between organization and its employees that determines whether a company is a great place to work or otherwise.

These relationships can further be categorized into three fundamental thoughts:

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  1. Does an employee feel the pride of being a member of the organization?
  2. Does an employee trust the person(s), (s)he works for?
  3. Does an employee feel the joy at the work place?

There have been researches, surveys, debates, literatures (written & read out), lectures, seminars, sermons and innumerable preaching on: How to keep an employee engaged? OR What keeps an employee engaged in organization?

The answers have been emerging out and the list has been endless.

But if we filter down to the most common reason, which is often neglected in such high calibre, literate and analytical theories, is the employee must find joy at work, in his work.

While identification and pointing at the reason may be easy, it may become extremely challenging for the leader to continuously sustain joy at work place.

RAREFACTOR ‘s are nothing but some easy-to-follow and simple rules which generates Joy @ Workplace

Realistic aspirations and targets

By setting up realistic and achievable targets, one can set the tone and pace for success.

Often with unrealistic and ambitious targets, the stress levels shoot up. Time and again, it has been proved through various studies that beyond a degree, stress works negatively and brings an individual’s energy and motivation to sub-optimal levels, very fast.

However, keeping realistic targets or aspirations is in no way an indication of being complacent. One must strive and stretch but the limits are to be defined and identified.

Attitude pays

When you enter the office, the onus is on you to make or waste your day. Enter with a positive attitude, with a right frame of mind and you surely have made your day meaningful. Try to shed all negative thoughts about your workplace, about your colleagues, your superiors and treat each day as your first day in the organization.

When you get in with negative thoughts, it not only hampers your efficiency to a considerable extent but also will not let you enjoy at work. Remember losing a few battles is not as important as winning a War! And wars are won only with positive mindsets.

Rapport building

Building and maintaining rapport with your peers, superiors and subordinates builds lasting relationships. These relationships then become lifetime bonds, which keeps you going. The easiest option is to know and accept your team members as individuals, with likes and dislikes, with qualities and shortcomings, with attitudes and notions, with wits of wisdom and follies of foolishness…like any other individuals.

One essential aspect which is often ignored is the need to communicate, freely and frankly, among the team members. These relationships build over a time can add to the glory, fun and zeal to your workplace.

Engaging Key Result Areas (KRA’s)

All play and no (meaningful!) work makes Jack a dull boy ! The work related goals have to be engaging enough for employees to remain connected to the organizational goals. The KRA’s) have to be SMART in real sense, simple to understand, measurable or quantifiable, attainable, reasonable and time-bound.

Once the employee feels (s)he is contributing or adding value to the organization, the joy @ Work is going to increase multifold.

Fix the problem, rather than complaining about it

For an average human being, it has become so natural to complain that we have interwoven complaining as our second nature. We complain about anything and everything. As a result, we generate a lot of negative energy around us. By complaining we neither achieve anything nor can contribute constructively.

The challenges and risk of being part of solution than to become part of a problem may be high but the sense of achievement, recognition and rewards that you get at the end of it compensates for all the hardships and turmoil faced.

Accept new challenges

One must always be prepared and steadfast for accepting newer challenges in the business, in the organization. Inducing highest level of commitment and a ruthless determination towards achieving the desired goals will help in making the workplace fun-filled, bubbling with enthusiasm vibrancy.

The ability to take rapid strides in achieving success milestones would be enhanced and a greater affinity to the workplace is established.

Celebrate success

Every success, huge or petty, has to be celebrated. Celebration does not always mean an expensive bash but an exclusive opportunity to stopover, to reconcile, to introspect, to analyze, to modify and to pacify some of the facilitating and hindering factors for success.

Moreover, celebrating success is also an opportunity to recognize the efforts of all contributors, major and minor, creating a ‘We’ feeling before taking a leap forward, before sharpening the saw again and before addressing the challenges on hand.

Transparency in dealings

Mr. Pascal, a Head of HR of a multinational energy company, has brought a success formula for his team…Any work related matter, any problem or any challenge that he faces or he comes across, he would bring it on table for his team to discuss and deliberate. The objective is to keep the matter as transparent as possible in the team.

By practising this, Mr. Pascal has ensured complete involvement and engagement of his entire team.

The whole team prefers to contribute and the decision so taken would mostly be unanimous, with little room for any perspective to be missed out, when it goes out of team.

The most significant outcome is the team remains united and considers workplace environment as comfortable as second home.

Office politics

Office politics and the power games have always been an integral of part of any organizational culture. However, minimizing these aspects actually facilitates freedom of thought, speech and action. Politicized environment blocks lots of creative ideas to come to surface, without the fear of being shot down or ridiculed.

By discouraging office politics, the philosophy of effective sharing and caring among the office colleagues, get enriched. A lower level of politics gives a comfort of being recognized for one’s own talent and wisdom. It generates a feeling of being heard and understood.

Rejuvenate with a break

Like every major milestone achieved need celebrations, every hard road travelled needs a break…This break is not only for the exhaustion and fatigue that grips up after that mind-squeezing time-frame, that you hang on to but also for rejuvenation required for the future journey.

Ironically, that little break puts you back on the track, motivated with much more energy and enthusiasm replenished. The elixir of relaxation does the wonder and you are raring to go, again!!

RAREFACTOR advantages

The RAREFACTOR techniques contribute very effectively in:

  • Making the workplace an enjoyable and joyous place.
  • Creating a congenial environment for fostering high productivity and efficiency.
  • Enhancing cohesiveness and team work among the team members.
  • Increasing vibrancy and vigour, across the organisation.
    And last but not the least…
  • Gaining the much needed ‘momentum’ for success.

But that’s where the RAREFACTOR ‘s may not only help an individual, in leading self to success, but also in creating an environment which is joyous, engaging and binding for his other team-members.

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It’s Your Turn

What do you think? Is the RAREFACTOR applicable in today’s business companies? And if so, how do you use it and what are the general results and learning lessons?

Share your experience and knowledge in the comments box below.

More information

  1. Carnegie, D. (1990). How To Enjoy Your Life And Work. Pocket Books.
  2. Coonradt, C. (2012). The Game of Work. Gibbs Smith.
  3. St. George, S. & McDougall, F. (2016). The Good Work Book: How to enjoy your job & make it spiritually fulfilling. Kindle Edition. Siramarti Publishing Pty Ltd.

How to cite this article:
Desai, H. (2016). RAREFACTOR. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/human-resources/rarefactor/

Published on: 09/30/2016 | Last update: 08/25/2022

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Hemang Desai
Article by:

Hemang Desai

Hemand Desai (1974) is an astute HR Advisor, Coach and Management Thinker. Having nearly two decades of experience in managing Strategic HR interventions with some of the most esteemed organizations. He has to his credit several papers and articles published in some of the renowned HR journals as well as popular newspapers. He has presented papers at several International/ National conferences.

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3 responses to “RAREFACTOR”

  1. Greema says:

    Joy@Workplace is RAREFACTOR. Every organisation must aim to achieve with RAREFACTOR. Brilliant thoughts and insight for people.

  2. Rajay Kumar says:

    Good read. Very apt in today’s scenario where employee engagement is a must.

  3. Natraj Vaddadi says:

    Good read.. In short… i think the real test is… Does an employee feel excited in the morning about going to work? or does he go there only because of the pay..

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