- Introduction
- What is True Business Success?
- 4 Reasons Why Your Employees Are Your Greatest Asset
- 7 Potential Reasons For Business Failure, And How to Fix Them
- How to Design an Office Your Employees Are Proud of
- Career Progression is Key For Employee Morale
- What About Flexible Working?
- It’s All About Showing Your Employees You Value Them
- Conclusion
Every business wants to be successful. After all, without success, a business cannot survive.
However, what is success exactly, and does the definition vary from business to business?
Some businesses define success by profits and growth. Others define success by market share and customer satisfaction, but what about the happiness and satisfaction of your employees? Does that count for anything towards success?
If you want to achieve business success, whatever that means to you, you have to ensure that your employees are happy, healthy, valued, and appreciated. Far too many businesses keep their eye on the profit margin and fail to understand that underneath it all, it’s the employees that do the hard work and therefore the employees that bring in the profits. Investing in your employees is never a waste of time and if anything, it’s a faster route towards improved market share, improved growth, improved profits, and a far better outlook for the present day and the future.
Everyone wants to feel valued and they want to enjoy their job regardless of what it is. Office workers spend a huge amount of time sitting at their office desks and that time needs to be happy and fulfilling, otherwise what is the point? Yes, employees go to work for their wages but they always want to feel challenged, appreciated, and part of something bigger too.
In this guide we’re going to talk about how investing in your employees is a route to business success. When you hear the word ‘invest’, it’s normal to think about pouring money into a particular endeavour but in this case, it’s not all about money; it’s far more about actions, appreciation, and time.
Let’s explore.
What is True Business Success?
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What is business success to you? What makes a business successful in your eyes?
Before you can improve a situation, you need to know what the definition means to you. As we’ve already mentioned, many businesses consider success to be the profits made at the end of the month and whether they’re increasing or not. However, isn’t it better to have a fully holistic approach?
Would it be better to say that true business success is having a group of employees that are happy and adequately challenged in their individual roles? Employees who all pull together for one common goal. Employees who enjoy coming up with creative solutions around the modern boardroom tables and who feel proud of what they achieve on a daily basis at their office chairs?
The reason this is a better measure of success is because one thing leads to another. For instance, happy employees are more productive, they’re more innovative, and they’re more likely to go the extra mile. Innovation and productivity lead to happier customers. This leads to repeat business and word of mouth marketing. This leads to larger profits and growth. Not only that, but it’s more sustainable too.
You can have one month of extreme success profits-wise, but if you don’t treat your employees in the best way, everything will go downhill from there and your next month will be far less profitable. For that reason, it’s best to consider business success as a long-term deal and not something which is achieved overnight.
4 Reasons Why Your Employees Are Your Greatest Asset
Most successful businesses treat their employees well – but not all. The difference between the long-standing successful businesses and those who fail in the end is that the super-successful ones treat their employees with respect and understand that ultimately, their employees are the single biggest asset the company has.
You can own as many properties as you like, you can have huge marketing campaigns with massive budgets, you can pour thousands into product and service development, but if your employees aren’t happy and they’re not feeling valued, everything is going to quickly start going downhill. Everything will be in vain.
Your employees hold far more power than you realise.
To further push this point home, let’s check out 4 reasons why your employees are your greatest asset.
Reason 1 – They do the work
Basically, your employees do the work! Managers make the decisions but the employees are the ones that carry out the instructions and do the groundwork. If your employees are working well, they make very few mistakes and they pay a great amount of attention to detail. That means your business looks good and keeps its customers happy. Without your employees, who is going to do the work?
Reason 2 – They are the face of the business
Whenever someone walks into your office, it’s one of your employees who greets them. Whenever the speak to someone on the phone, it’s one of your employees they speak to. Your employees are the face of your business and if they’re not feeling valued or happy in their jobs, they’re not going to show the very best first impression that is so vital for repeat and new business.
Reason 3 – They are the ones you can go to for solutions
Whenever a problem occurs, or a situation needs a creative solution, your employees hold the answers. Simply sitting around the boardroom furniture and having a brainstorming session will yield major results and could unlock a solution which takes your business to the next level. After all, your employees are the ones who are in the midst of the work every single day, so nobody knows better than them.
Reason 4 – When your employees work together as a team, productivity rises
Never underestimate productivity. Productivity leads to profits and that’s what every business needs to survive. When your employees are happy as a team, they pull together and work towards a common aim or goal. This increases productivity and ensures that good results continue. When the opposite is true, the entire picture goes from productivity to seriously unproductive very quickly.
Check out this TED Talk video which talks about what makes employees happy at work.
7 Potential Reasons For Business Failure, And How to Fix Them
Most reasons for business failure can be traced back to employees. This doesn’t mean that employees are to blame when a business fails, but somewhere in the chain of events, there is likely to be a group of employees who simply weren’t productive. The reason why? They probably didn’t feel supported or valued, and in that case, can you blame them for trying less than they otherwise would?
Let’s look at 7 potential reasons why a business might fail and see where employees come into them.
#1 A Business Starts to Lose Its Customer Base
A business is going to fail without customers, it’s as simple as that. When there are no customers, or too few, not enough money is made and everything falls through. When a business starts to lose its customer base it’s often because of mistakes or because of poor experiences, which lead them to avoid recommending the business to friends and family, or posting poor reviews online.
You can’t blame employees for being disengaged and not focused on giving your customers what they need if you’re not giving your employees what they need first and foremost. You need your employees to be passionate about the cause and that means helping them to feel valued and adequately challenged by you. Understand what impacts employee morale and work to fix it.
#2 Potential customers and clients don’t get the best first impression, so choose to go elsewhere
If your customers or clients don’t get the best impression from your business, they’re not going to choose to work with you. It’s that simple. People get a feel of what your business is like from walking into your office or from speaking to someone on the telephone. If your employees are looking glum and unmotivated, the first impression is not going to be very positive.
Check out this video which talks about how you can motivate your employees through measures that don’t involve money.
#3 Problems Can’t be Solved Creatively
Every business face problems occasionally but the key to solving them comes down to creative thinking. Your employees are the best placed ones to help you solve these problems but if they don’t feel valued and morale is low, they’re not going to be very motivated to help you out. They will go to work, do what they need to do, and go home. Nothing more and nothing less.
#4 Too Much Focus on Profits And Not Enough Focus on People
A business that fails to recognise that their employees are vitally important to their success will quickly fail. If you focus too much on profits, you’re overlooking the human element that is so vital. Yes, profits are important, but it’s better to focus on achieving profits by treating those at their designer office desks with respect and value.
#5 Lack of Training Leads to Mistakes and Loss of Confidence
If you pile too much work onto an individual employee, they’re going to become stressed and probably make a mistake. That mistake could be extremely costly for a business. At the same time, if you don’t train your employees properly and don’t offer them regular training updates in addition, you’ll find that mistakes are also made. All of this leads to a loss of confidence and that results in low morale. The cycle swirls downwards from there.
#6 Businesses Start to Haemorrhage Employees And Constantly Need to Recruit
A business spending a huge amount of time and money on a constant cycle of recruitment will quickly find that productivity is affected. If you don’t treat your employees right, they’ll leave and find someone who treats them better. That means you need to advertise, interview, recruit and train up someone new. All of this takes time and it costs a lot of cash. When you’re doing this regularly, it’s a huge red flag.
#7 The Business Remains Static And Competitors Take Over
Lack of innovative thinking during brainstorming and collaborative sessions leads to a business that remains static and never moves forwards. In this cutthroat business world, you need to always be thinking on your feet and to be one step ahead of the game. If your business is just ticking along and never really doing anything new, your competitors are going to swoop in and turn the heads of your existing customer base.
These 7 possible reasons for business failure all come down to employees not feeling engaged. Employees who don’t feel valued, comfortable, or supported aren’t going to work to the best of their ability. Sure, they’ll do what they need to do, but they’re not going to go the extra mile, and who can blame them?
It’s vital that as an employer you know what the low employee morale definition is and the signs that it’s happening in your modern contemporary office. Then, you need to know how to fix it. Thankfully, we have a few suggestions below.
How to Design an Office Your Employees Are Proud of
Investing in your employees means giving them somewhere to work that makes them happy, comfortable and supported. In addition, the office needs to look the part too. The office design needs to be something which is uplifting and modern.
Think about how you feel when you walk into and office that is dark, small, and needs and upgrade, compared to an office which is new, shiny, and decorated in the most innovative office furniture. The way it makes you feel is instant and that has a major effect on your mood. When you feel good, you work better; when you feel negative, your work suffers.
Looking into office design ideas is a good starting point, but you should also talk to your employees about what they would like to see in the office space. What sort of layout do they feel would work and what types of furniture would help them to do their job? They’re the ones who are working at their desks every single day and they’re the ones who have the answers you seek. In addition, asking opinions means that you’re showing your employees that you value them and you want to create an office that they’re happy with.
You should therefore focus on:
- How the office looks – Colours, decoration, layout. These are all vitally important when it comes to the feel of an office and what it is like to work in.
- The amount of available space – Having too many people crammed into a small office is not only suffocating for those within it, but it’s also a major risk factor for health and safety issues. If you don’t have a huge amount of space, consider moving premises, or perhaps renovating the office to make it larger. Don’t try and fit in what you simply don’t have space for.
- The break spaces available – What facilities do you have on-site for employees needing a break? Do you have an outdoor area where they can get some fresh air? Do you have a canteen? Do you have breakout spaces, perhaps with office booths and breakout furniture? Breaks are vitally important for health and wellbeing and by offering these types of facilities, you’re showing your employees that you want to give them what they need.
- The type of office furniture available – It’s not just about having a desk and chair each, it’s about innovative design that can help your employees feel supported and comfortable on a daily basis. We’re talking about ergonomic furniture and perhaps even stand height desks or height adjustable desks for a sitting and standing routine throughout the day. Active working is vitally important for health. Check out this infographic below which talks about the use of standing desks in a bit more detail.
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Source - https://www.hrmonline.com.au/innovation/standing-desk-infographic/
Investing in your office means investing in the experience your employees have within it. The best people to consult about that are, without a doubt, your employees. So, start up a focus group and ask for opinions. Make sure that you consider every suggestion that comes your way, and keep an open door for anyone who wants to come and put forth more ideas.
Career Progression is Key For Employee Morale
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Focusing on employee productivity means understanding what your employees need. This isn’t about working with numbers; it’s about working with people. Not every employee in your office will want to work there for their entire career; some might want to progress into management, others might want a fresh challenge occasionally. There is nothing wrong with any of this, it’s simply a fact of life.
Supporting your employees in their career progression route, whatever that may be, is important. You can help with this via annual appraisals as a starting point. Many employees worry about these and assume that they’re something to be worried about, but they’re actually more about identifying training needs and any way in which the management can help.
As part of your employee appraisal programme, make a point of asking each employee what they’re looking for in their career and if there is anything you can do as an employer to support their progression. That could be extra training, a mentorship package, or shadowing a member of management, if that’s the route they want to take.
When people feel stuck in their job, they start to get itchy feet. When that happens, you start to lose employees and then you need to start recruiting. We’ve already talked about how that’s an expensive and time-consuming route. It’s far more effective to look after the employees you have and support them in whatever they have planned. Yes, that might mean some move on at some point, but you will have a much greater chance of retaining other employees along the way, simply because of increased morale.
What About Flexible Working?
At the time of writing, the COVID pandemic is still raging on. That means many employees are still working from home. Some of those employees might have actually enjoyed setting up a home office and working away from the office and may want to continue that after the pandemic has abated.
Flexible working has been a ‘thing’ for a while now, but it’s been thrown sharply into the public gaze since the pandemic started. It’s not only about working from home. Flexible working means working in a way which suits the employee. That can mean working from home some of, or all of the time, or working completely remotely, i.e. from another location around the world, perhaps even moving around on a regular basis.
Whilst not every flexible working request may suit the business, you are duty bound to at least consider it from a business point of view and give a good reason if you don’t want to accept it. There are many advantages to flexible working and it’s one way to tick both the employee health and productivity boxes because a quality home and work-life balance is key to each one.
If your business has never really thought about offering flexible working opportunities before, it’s possibly time to start thinking about it. Check out this infographic which talks about why.
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Source - https://cpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.brighton.ac.uk/dist/3/2962/files/2017/04/Microsoft-eguide-infographic-Nov-15-v5-1-2a730uo.jpg
It’s All About Showing Your Employees You Value Them
You’ve probably gathered so far, but it really does come down to showing your employees that you value them. Give praise whenever you need to, give credit when it’s due, and never criticise in front of a group. Employee morale hinges very heavily upon whether or not your employees feel valued or whether they feel as though they’re just a number in their manager’s eyes.
The small things make a huge difference. Never underestimate the power of saying ‘thank you’, or ‘that’s a great job done’. Remember, your employees are human beings! We all respond well to being told that we’ve done something well, but it has to be genuine at the same time.
Employee morale and motivation are both affected by how you treat your employees on a human level. Never pile an uneven amount of work onto one or two employees; always make sure that workloads are fair and even. Never set unrealistic deadlines – your employees aren’t robots. Lead by example, show compassion, and basically be the manager that you would like to have leading you.
When you incorporate these tips, alongside the other pieces of advice we’ve given you so far, you’ll notice a marked improvement in how happy and productive your employees are. All of this leads to the one thing you’ve been wanting all along – business success.
Conclusion
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Understanding that business success cannot happen without your employees is key. Far too many managers treat their employees as just numbers, or expect them to achieve superhuman feats every single day. The truth is that it’s just not possible and even if your employees somehow manage to pull it off, they’re not going to be particularly happy about it.
A successful business is one that understands the human contribution is far greater than anything else. You can invest in all technology you want, but someone has to operate it; you can opt for large scale marketing campaigns, but who is going to answer the queries that occur as a result of them? The bottom line is that your employees are the face of your business and if you want to be shown in the very best light, you need to focus on their happiness and wellbeing before anything else.
Some employees will come and go, others will stay around for a longer time. This isn’t the main crux of the matter; you need to focus on their experience whilst they’re working for you. Then, if they do leave to move onto a new challenge in the future, they’ll give a good report to potential new talent that may want to join your team.
Success hinges upon humans. A successful business must understand this, focus on it, and carry it through. Without this basic understanding, a business is doomed to fail at some point, whether that’s in the near future or at some point in the distant future.