Most employees already complete tasks that aren’t strictly part of their job descriptions, formally defined as “Organizational Citizenship Behaviors.” They work extra hours, take work home, mentor new hires, assist colleagues, volunteer for special projects, as well as a host of other contributions to the well-being of the company. These behaviors benefit the company or organization in the form of increased productivity, efficiency, perhaps even profits. Employees may benefit in the form of improved performance evaluations and mobility within the organization, but these behaviors can carry a price.
A recent study in Harvard Business Review links strong organizational citizenship behaviors with increased stress, reduced work-life balance, and “citizenship fatigue” or diminishing citizenship behaviors over time. However, with the right strategy, employers can encourage citizenship behaviors without incurring these negative side effects.
Putting the Citizenship in Citizenship Behaviors
The key to encouraging citizenship behaviors is employee engagement and appreciation. In other words, employees who feel like integral parts of their organizations, or citizens of the company, are more likely to go beyond the job description because they want to, not because they feel they have to. The distinction between want to and need to is also the difference between continued citizenship behaviors and the diminishing returns of stress and fatigue. A work culture that is positive and encouraging at its core has this kind of engagement baked in because employees already feel inspired by their work.
Some studies also show workers respond with increased citizenship behaviors when they see their companies engaging in their own citizenship behaviors. Younger workers, in particular, value working for organizations that are “good corporate citizens,” companies that contribute to the greater good and/or participate in philanthropic activities and community service. When employees see their organizations going above and beyond, they feel motivated to go above and beyond for the organization.
Play to Strengths
One contributor to potential stress and fatigue may be a lack of focus in extra efforts, a need or desire to “be all things to all people.” Whether this message is explicit or implicit in the company’s culture, the long-term results may be more productive if employees understand they don’t need to do it all. Instead, managers and supervisors can encourage employees to play to their strengths and do the extra tasks that stem naturally from their designated workload. For example, introverted employees may prefer working extra hours while extroverts might prefer mentoring or committee work. When employees craft their own model of organizational citizenship, they are invested in behaviors that will feel more rewarding and less intrusive on their required tasks. They can go above and beyond in a way that also allows them to keep stress at bay and maintain a balanced workload.