EMPLOYALTY

A leadership expert lobbies for treating employees humanely in this management guide.

Mull, a professional leadership trainer and speaker, is enthusiastic about getting employers to understand “that people dothe best job possible when they believe they havethe best job possible.” So enthusiastic is he about building a work environment that encourages employee commitment that he created a new word to express it: “Employalty.” In this tightly organized, well-written book, Mull combines pertinent workplace anecdotes with original and existing research to support his impassioned argument that commitment at work derives from employees who are able to do their “Ideal Job” doing “Meaningful Work” for a “Great Boss.” The book’s introductory section offers an overview of these three primary factors, suggesting that together they form a “destination workplace.” Mull introduces an intriguing Venn diagram in which the three factors overlap, demonstrating how the diagram can be used as an “Employalty Scorecard,” a recurring concept throughout the book. Also included is a stimulating discussion of the recent phenomenon of “the great resignation” and a provocative chapter addressing “the normalization of inhumane employee treatment.” The bulk of the book is comprised of three parts aligned with each of the three factors: In “Ideal Job,” the author writes about compensation, workload, and flexibility; an eye-opening example of flexibility is the story about a manager who offered his heating, cooling, and refrigeration team the ability to decide their own schedules as long as their work got done. “Meaningful Work” covers purpose, strengths, and belonging; the latter chapter of which makes a strong case for a diverse workplace. “Great Boss” is perhaps the most engaging because it centers on coaching, trust, and advocacy; the author’s questions regarding advocacy are especially insightful. The book wraps up with a road map of sorts: clear and concise steps for implementing an “Employalty Movement” at one’s organization.

A forthright, forward-looking employee recruitment and retention manual.