There are eternal truths about employee ❤️ , things have always been true and are magnified now, during this so-called Great Resignation. The first is that employees don’t leave jobs — they leave managers. The second takes this idea a bit further and says that employees leave when they feel disconnected from not only their manager but from the organization’s mission.
Where does your organization stand? Let’s dive into why your organization’s mission matters for employee ❤️ , how this impacts your customers, and how you can foster a connection to your mission within your business.
The difference employee ❤️ makes to your bottom line
In his 2003 book, Practice What You Preach, David Maister explores the relationship between a “high achievement culture” among employees and the connection between high-achieving, satisfied employees and success with customers. As part of his research, Maister and his team surveyed employees from offices all over the US. The survey was offered over seventy statements and asked employees to rate their reaction to the statements on a scale from one to six, with higher numbers signifying greater agreement.
Ultimately, four statements showed the highest correlation with the business’s overall results:
- I am highly satisfied with my job.
- I have a great sense of accomplishment from my work.
- The overwhelming majority of the work I am given is challenging, rather than repetitive.
- I am committed to this firm as a career opportunity.
A one-point increase in the score on these four statements correlated with a 42% average rise in financial performance for that employee’s organization. I can’t think of anything that makes the connection between employee ❤️ and customer results more clear.
These statements are essential ingredients for employee satisfaction, yes, and think how each one can contribute to a satisfying customer experience.
Consider your contacts in sales or customer service roles. Can you sense when someone is committed to your successful outcome? When you are working with a tenured employee who has a sense of purpose with their work and cares enough to bring empathy and compassion to each interaction? Enthusiasm and feeling drawn to the organization’s mission enhances customers’ ability to feel the same passion, amplified by presumably better service from someone who knows the ropes and is proud of the work they do. So, employee and customer ❤️ are deeply entwined and they feed each other.
Are you fostering a culture that inspires your employees to strongly agree with these four statements?
Your mission and how it can build a culture of employee ❤️
People do their best work and are most satisfied when they feel like they’re associated with a mission that is bigger than themselves and they care about the people they’re working with. If an organization is not clear about its mission and how each employee contributes to it, staff can feel that they’re going through the motions. They may get fed up enough to leave, seeking more meaningful work.
Looking back to those four crucial survey statements, how can you make sure your employees are satisfied, accomplished, challenged and retained with a mission to rally behind?
- Understand. To infuse your culture with purpose, you need to fully understand it yourself. The leadership team must be crystal clear about the reason for the company’s existence and its mission before they can instill those values in others — and hire candidates who already align with them.
- Communicate. It doesn’t matter how amazing your company’s mission is if it’s not clearly–and regularly–communicated to employees. Staff should be well aware of the company’s values and ideals, ones they are expected to uphold as a part of the organization, nad this communication should not be one-way. Employees must feel that their input matters, too, and will be taken into consideration as the organization evolves..
- Trust. When your mission has been communicated to employees, trust that they can use it as a North Star to lead their decisions. This means leaders must get comfortable with employee autonomy, judgement that puts decision-making closer to customers. When your team is clear and aligned on your big picture, you don’t need to micromanage–employees can own their roles with pride and confidence.
- Invest. When people feel comfortable, they can take the risks to grow. They want to grow. Create opportunities for your team to progress in their roles, and to move within your organization and accept new challenges. Don’t invite them to look elsewhere–invest in learning and development to make sure they can excel in their work and see their future with your company.
These four concepts foster the employee ❤️ that that leads to customer ❤️ . With a clear mission and your ability to communicate it, with trust, and by making investments in your employees, you grow the alignment that gets customers engaged and delighted. That’s how you transform customers into Lustomers™!
Need help rallying your staff around your mission and building a culture of employee ❤️ ? 3C Communications offers half-and full-day communication workshops to help your teams radiate ❤️ and build solid, lasting customer relationships. Contact us for more information about what we can offer your organization.