Businesses are often geared towards the priorities of their clients, given that sales make up the bedrock of any enterprise. However, with a majority of US employees stating they cannot find skilled workers, there is evidence that this relationship should be reversed, to a point where employees are the main priority of employers nationally. For businesses of all sizes, there is evidence that prioritizing employees will be to the overall benefit of the company. For small and growing businesses, where do you start?
Promoting well-being
The first step is, of course, to safeguard the well-being of your employees. Employers have taken an increasingly active role in the lives of their staff, and this is only set to increase with the always-on nature of modern digital technology. Simply put, it’s harder than ever for workers to disconnect from the workplace. Far from just being the ethical choice, studies have shown that adverse employee well being actively harms the business. One study, published by the British Chambers of Commerce, found that 41% of businesses believed offering better benefits to staff would improve retention and, crucially, performance. This doesn’t have to be expensive or fundamentally change a business. Employee cover industry experts Cerity.com note that cover can, nowadays, be tailored and purchased with relative ease, and that workplace schemes that benefit happiness and health are cheap and widely available.
Improving learning
Some of the best performing small businesses focus on a generalist model for their workers. Bringing in staff who have skills to encompass their role and the flexibility to learn new ones will create an experienced and happy office. Promoting that learning to your employees, and providing the time and funding to go ahead and achieve new qualifications, will set your business apart from the others. Even big businesses do it; NPR reported in early December 2019 that Amazon were funding $700m of training for their warehouse workers to have better prospects.Making employees part of your success
The best businesses have engaged employees who feel like they are an active part of the company’s onward success. A contrast to companies who say their success is in spite of their employees and is entirely down to top-level direction, promoting engagement with staff of all levels helps to build a sense of pride in the company. This, in turn, encourages people to do a good job.How can this engagement be built? The first method is to provide stock options to your employees so they have an active interest in the proper running of your business. Alternatively, performance-weighted bonuses that are applicable to local costs of living are often popular. Find a way to compensate your staff for their hard work that is compatible with your books and your business model.
Employees are the lifeblood of the company, and deserve to be treated with the proper importance. Moving away from the client-is-always-right model of operation and towards prioritizing everyday employees will be of huge benefit to businesses. The rewards are tangible, and affect both business owners and workers.
