How High a Priority Are Your Employees? Are You Sure?

One question that I often hear these days is, “What can we do to be successful in today’s economy?” My answer comes in the form of two questions: 1. “How high a priority are your employees?” AND 2. “Would your employees agree with your answer?” Leaders who want their organizations to be successful first and foremost must focus on helping their employees become fully successful. When employees are fully successful, their productivity skyrockets, and customers are delighted because the organization is able to deliver, or over-deliver, its promised value. I learned this secret to high productivity early in my career when I worked for FedEx. Fred Smith, the founder and CEO of the company, anchored the corporate culture on this simple philosophy: People – Service – Profit. Fred’s belief was that if you take care of your people, they will provide excellent service, which will increase profits. I have yet to see any evidence to disprove his belief. To the contrary, I have seen company after company adopt some version of this philosophy. Why? Because it works! How do you make employees a high priority? I developed a research-based tool called the Employer Performance Scorecard that identifies four areas that influence employees’ perceptions of how they are treated. I encourage my clients to use this scorecard to help them assess employees’ perspectives about how they are treated on a day-to-day basis. High scores mean you place a high priority on employees; low scores mean you have work to do! Here are the four areas and representative elements in each one: 1. Managers and supervisorsrn The #1 reason why employees leave organizations and why they join unions is dissatisfaction with the immediate supervisor. You can help employees be successful if you ensure their supervisors are meeting their needs effectively. This requires that you set your supervisors up fornsuccess (e.g., provide the proper training and tools) so they are able to manage effectively. 2. Organizational culturern Employees who feel they are part of something larger than themselves and that their views are respected are likely to perceive that they are valued. You can help employees be fully successful if you ensure they have “voice” (i.e., they feel they are heard) and that they understand how they contribute to the organization’s mission or vision. 3. Organizational processesrn You increase employees’ ability to be fully successful when you ensure that workplace decisions and processes are procedurally fair, that communication is two-way, and that leaders truly “walk the talk” – i.e., their behaviors are consistent with their words. 4. Rewards and recognitionrn Research consistently shows that pay generally is not THE reason for employee dissatisfaction, disengagement, or turnover as long as there is a reasonable level of compensation. Employee commitment to their own success (and by extension, that of the organization) skyrockets when workers are recognized for their contributions to the organization. There are hundreds of no- and low-cost ways to recognize your workers in ways that are meaningful to them. Truly, a little recognition goes a LONG way! How would you answer the two questions I posed at the beginning of this message? Smart employers will compare their answers with those of their employees, and take immediate action to address any discrepancies.