One of today’s most important trends in business is to utilize mobile in order to go where our customers are. We don’t tell them what medium to use. We adapt our efforts to reach out where they like to be. But what about letting your employees thrive in an environment best for them?
When looking at your company’s bottom line, don’t focus solely on your product or service offering. Your employees are your biggest asset. The people who make it all happen are responsible for driving your company forward and are the voice of your customers’ experience. Keep them happy and happy customers are sure to follow.
There are three things your employees crave from you.
1. Pay attention to the work environment, the other home away from home.
Depending on the organization or the role within the company, many employees spend more time at work than they do with their families. Because of this, an emphasis on employee surroundings has become increasingly crucial for achieving the coveted “employer of choice” status. This doesn’t mean you have to invest in a foosball table and forgo desk chairs for beanbags. Concentrate on creating a comfortable environment that enables your employees to succeed at doing their job and at ease. It might be through a flexible work schedule or new technologies allowing them to be more efficient.
Many organizations have come to embrace bring your own device (BYOD) as a way to implement the newest technologies in the workplace and improve employee engagement while increasing productivity. If you have an employee who loves his new Samsung Galaxy S4 or Microsoft Surface RT, why force him to use a device he isn’t nearly as comfortable with when he could utilize his own, one he loved so much he bought it?
2. Have you told your employees you value them lately?
If you haven’t, start making this a common occurrence. After all, a valued employee is an employee who values the customer. And a happy customer is a return customer and an advocate of your organization.
According to CEB’s quarterly global labor market research, the No. 3 reason employees will look to leave their employer in 2013 is respect. Stability and compensation topped the chart but respect is the new driver for change. If you give credit where credit is due and you acknowledge the hard work of those around you, employee happiness and loyalty follows.
3. Every voice should be heard.
Communication skills aren’t “soft skills,” they’re “must skills.” Poor communication can be detrimental to a company at every level, hindering growth and employee morale.
Companies that encourage open communication and allow employees to voice their opinions benefit by gaining insight and knowledge into all facets of the business. Open communication should stretch from entry-level to the most senior employee and even to customers. If you listen, you might just hear your next service offering, product or operational process improvement.
Give what your employees need, want and deserve.
Your bottom line will thank you.
Photo credit: meddygarnet via Creative Commons
