Here’s an idea on how to motivate employees to do their jobs: Tell them that their efforts make a difference.

More specifically, tell them how their work helps the company make money.

And yet, according to a new poll of 1,000 U.S. workers by Menlo Park, California-based Robert Half, an employment staffing company, only a slim majority (53 percent) say they would like to gain greater insight into how their work impacts their employer’s bottom line.

Forty-seven percent of workers say they did not want more insight, apparently content with whatever knowledge, or lack thereof, they’re currently operating with.

Young employees were more likely to signal an interest in gaining greater insight. Sixty-four percent of millennials say they would like to know more, compared to 51 percent of Gen Xers and 46 percent of baby boomers.

That could be because older employees, who tend to be higher up in the company, are more likely to understand their impact on company finances and do not feel they need further insight on the matter, explains Tim Hird, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources, in an email to BenefitsPRO.

Indeed, the survey shows that only 44 percent of millennials says they are always able to see the connection between their labor and company profits, compared to 59 percent of boomers. Inexplicably, Gen Xers were the least likely (38 percent) to say they always view the connection.

Overall, 39 percent of employees say they are sometimes able to see the connection, 9 percent say they see it only rarely, and 5 percent say they are never able to perceive a link between their labor and the company’s overall performance.

In another statistical quirk, only 6 percent of millennials say “rarely” or “never,” compared to 19 percent of Gen Xers and 17 percent of boomers.

Hird concedes that some employees may not recognize the value of understanding the link between their work and the company’s success, but says that it is the duty of the employer to help them see the link and appreciate it.

“When people have a thorough understanding of how their job affects the company’s bottom line, they can make better decisions and come up with new ways to help the business grow,” he says. “This also can give them a stronger bond to the organization and greater job satisfaction.”

Instant Insights /

Employees want to contribute to their company's bottom line, poll says

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