The most important elements of a business are (1) the employees and (2) the customers. Employees comprise the core of every business. Without employee acknowledgment and appreciation, your business’ path to achieving its strategic goals, mission and/or vision becomes measurably more difficult.
Year after year there are symposiums organized to discuss how and why employers need to show employees that they care about them. Unhappy employees can directly and adversely impact a company’s top-line revenue as well as its reputation among customers, clients, vendors, etc.
Happy employees are up to 13% more productive. They also have more satisfactory home lives, which translates to fewer sick days and improved performance. In short, happy employees who feel respected will generate better results for any company.
Employee appreciation does not need to be flashy or expensive. Integrating the use of “please” and “thank you” into workplace culture costs nothing. Handwritten notes of acknowledgment and publicly appreciating staff shows them that their contribution is valued. This can and will pay great dividends for a business in the long run.
Ideally, employees will be part of the strategic and annual planning process. While your leadership team might be developing company plans and guide the business, employees are the ones on the front lines who know the daily course of operations and shape customer/client feedback. A typical employee complaint is that management never solicits their input. Asking what they think during or before the annual planning process makes your staff feel valued.
Keeping employees in the planning loop not only makes them feel like important parts of the business operation (which they are) but also informs upper management what is happening on the floor in real-time. What customers think about your business is directly reflected by how they interact with your staff. Employees instantly know when customers are upset or want changes — sentiments they can convey to management immediately.
Employees are the porters on the journey up the mountain. It is easy to forget them on the trek, but without a well-maintained camp, the expedition will collapse. Trust them, support them, and empower them, and they will never let your business down.
