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.
Astron
Solutions is a consulting firm dedicated to the delivery
of HR services and supportive technology. For more
information about how we can help your organization,
please call Astron Solutions at 800-520-3889 or visit
www.astronsolutions.com.