The concept of “good company culture” has been thrown around a lot in entrepreneurial and small business circles in recent years. There is a lot of talk around increasing employee engagement through recreational spaces, company retreats, etc., but do tactics like these actually make employees more productive? More importantly, is it a good use of time and resources to implement strategies that increase employee welfare? In this article we will discuss why focusing on workers’ happiness and welfare is absolutely critical in the success of a growing business.
Point of contact
Much of the time, the individuals we hire for our companies act as the middleman between us and our clients. Whether we are operating a business to business or a business to customer endeavor, the employees with direct contact to our clients contribute greatly to the image of our company.
If our employees are chronically unhappy in their roles, it will be evident in the way they handle dealings with our customers. Similarly, a happy employee is highly likely to provide excellent service to our clients. As such, it is important to ensure that we not only treat our employees with care and respect, but that we also hire individuals whose values, missions and visions align with those of the company.
Employee Engagement
Just as our external focus should be on acquiring and maintaining a loyal customer base, our internal focus should be on acquiring and maintaining a loyal and robust team. As mentioned earlier, we should ensure that we hire individuals whose values and visions align with that of our companies. Properly vetting employees so that we avoid the high cost of having or replacing ill-suited and often unproductive workers is critical to the health and longevity of a business.
Not only is it important to focus on having a team with matching values, it is crucial to make sure that existing employees feel heard and understood. Recreational areas, retreats, and other fun perks are nice, but actually listening to our employees’ concerns and suggestions is even better. Doing this will allow employees to feel like their contributions matter and are of value to companies they work for.
The focus on company culture may be cliche, but the results of employee engagement are not. Happy employees create pleasant workplaces which translate to happy customers. Time and resources spent on productive employees is definitely worth it.
For more tips on employee engagement contact us today.
Manny Skevofilax is a consultant and speaker that helps his clients successfully navigate the challenges of growing their businesses profitably. Since 2003, Manny helps businesses enhance their results by using his experience in strategic planning, financial statement analysis, operations, organizational development, and team-building. His consulting firm, PORTAL CFO Consulting, Inc., has attracted clients from diverse industries in the United States and abroad.
Manny can be reached at 410-808-3441 or via email at manny@portalcfo.com.