Save Your
Employees from the Dark Side
–
Human Resource Lessons Learned from Star Wars
Through George
Lucas’ storytelling, filmgoers have come to know
Darth Vader as the epitome of evil. But as
viewers learn from the latest Star Wars trilogy,
underneath that intimidating exterior beats the
heart of a man whose turn to the dark side was
largely a result of his frustration with his
former employer.
What if the
Jedi had an effective human resource program?
Perhaps we would have seen Anakin chatting with
Yoda over intergalactic eggnog at the Jedi
holiday party, rather than Darth Vader bowing to
the evil emperor in Revenge of the Sith.
So where did
the Jedi’s HR program go wrong? At first
glance, there doesn’t appear to be a problem.
After all, the Jedi offer an excellent training
program for new employees, surely making them
one of the galaxy’s employers of choice. Where
else can you learn how to wield your very own
lightsaber and do Jedi Mind Tricks? They don’t
offer that type of training even at Microsoft.
Concerned for
employees’ futures, wise companies are.
In Revenge of
the Sith, we see that Anakin, now a Jedi Knight,
has become one of the Jedi’s “star employees.”
However, even though Jedi Knight is a highly
respectable title, Anakin is unhappy regarding
his entry level status. He desperately wants to
be promoted to Jedi Master believing that this
new title would bring him the respect that he
feels he deserves. What Anakin doesn’t seem to
understand is that each Jedi Master has years of
solid experience and knowledge of The Force
under his or her belt. As a result of this
disconnect, Anakin becomes increasingly
frustrated and considers another job offer.
“A Career
Progression program could have helped in this
situation,” explained Michael Maciekowich,
National Director, Astron Solutions. “Building
career paths lets employees know that they are
moving forward within an organization, giving
them a sense of direction. Anakin would have
realized that the Jedi cared about his career
growth, and that the promotion to Jedi Master
was an attainable goal, had there been a clear
career progression program in place.”
Communicate
you must.
As the story
unfolds, we see that there is also a serious
lack of communication between Anakin and the
Jedi’s upper management, the Jedi Council. In
fact, Anakin reveals to his wife that he feels
lost and doesn’t believe that the Jedi Council
trusts him.
“The Council
could have considered a First Impression Survey,
which is given to employees within their first
few months of employment. This is a crucial time
to provide integration into the corporate
culture, encourage open communication, and let
new employees know that you value their
feedback,” said Jennifer C. Loftus, SPHR, CCP,
CBP, GRP, National Director, Astron Solutions.
Offer great
benefits, you should.
One major
reason why Anakin eventually turns to the Dark
Side is because he believes that they offer
better “benefits” (and we don’t mean a good
dental plan.) The confused, young Jedi is
concerned that he is going to lose someone close
to him due to medical reasons, and believes that
his new position will offer him the “ultimate”
in healthcare insurance. As he quickly learns,
however, his new employer wasn’t exactly
truthful about the health coverage.
Perhaps the
Jedi weren’t clearly communicating their own
benefit plan to Anakin. Increased communication
and attention to employee feedback could have
helped in this situation as well.
“When choosing
from the vast array of benefit offerings, it is
important for HR professionals to analyze their
employees' needs. The Jedi Council should have
asked their employees what standard and
voluntary benefits would be of most value to
them and work to make those benefits available,”
explained Loftus.
It may be too
late for Anakin / Darth Vader, but it’s not too
late to save your own employees from the Dark
Side. Remember, you don’t need The Force to make
your team happy, just solid HR programs.