Your business exists to serve its customers. While you rarely need to be reminded of this fact, you may sometimes lose sight of your first level of customers: your employees. If you constantly consider their level of happiness and satisfaction, it will have a domino effect that ultimately leads to greater customer loyalty on every level.

Use a healthy company culture to build collaboration, team-building and innovation. Allow employees to be an integral part of creating that culture. Find out what inspires them to do their best work every day. If they feel good being part of the team, they’ll produce at peak capacities and encourage others, including the best new talent from outside your walls, to do the same. And they’ll stick around for the long term.

Culture Counts

Many factors go into creating a healthy culture, and there’s no one-size-fits-all formula. But there are some general guidelines to keep in mind:

• Take it seriously. Don’t be lackadaisical when it comes to your company culture. Take it as seriously as you do product development, legal issues and key client relations.
• Articulate your vision. Clearly and openly communicate company objectives, performance and initiatives. It starts with senior leadership understanding the vision and continues with their conveying it to staff in a way that every employee grasps their personal contribution to its success. When people feel they’re part of a bigger picture, they develop a sense of ownership, loyalty and dedication.
• Give employees tools to motivate each other. Put incentives and rewards into their hands, letting them develop and own peer recognition. This will be much more effective than a traditional top-down program. For instance, your team may prefer a points and rewards system that gives them paid days off, gift cards or standing ovations at meetings to recognize extraordinary effort.
• The best ideas don’t always start at the top. Invite employees to contribute their suggestions and perspectives. Encourage them to try new things, even if their ideas are unsuccessful. In a healthy culture, you encourage out-of-the-box thinking with the understanding that every mistake is a learning opportunity.

Perk It Up

Research has shown that employees with high levels of job satisfaction are more productive, engaged and loyal. What keeps them satisfied? While salary remains important, ancillary benefits and perks tailored to meet their needs also rank high. This is especially true among younger millennial workers, who have noted that they wouldn’t hesitate to change jobs if their work and personal lives were out of balance.

Consider these recent survey results from workers who were asked what steps could be taken to reduce voluntary turnover:

• 58 percent listed better benefits.
• 51 percent expressed a need for flexible scheduling.
• 50 percent cited employee recognition.
• 48 percent said companies should ask employees what they want – and then put that feedback into action.
• 35 percent preferred more training and learning opportunities.
• 22 percent cited academic reimbursement.
• 21 percent wanted their employers to carve out specific career paths for them and promote more.
• 14 percent asked for more casual dress codes.

What are you doing to make sure your employees renew their job-related enthusiasm on a regular basis? The workforce development experts at Contemporary Personnel Staffing & Professionals Incorporated can partner with you to make it happen – and design the long-term hiring and retention strategies you need for continued success. Contact us today at (315)457-2500 or sales@cpsprofessionals.com to learn more.