Companies invest a lot into building customer relationships and engagement strategies, yet often don’t build relationships with their own workforce. With an ongoing war to attract and retain talent, knowing employees and what makes them tick is vital to success. There is an ever-growing emphasis on optimising the customer journey and experience, so it’s important that employees aren’t left behind.
Success starts with the employee, not the customer
Employees and their needs should come first in any organisation. By taking the time to nurture talent – understanding how employees think and feel – companies are setting themselves up for a much better chance of success. Fundamentally, an unhappy and disconnected workforce will have a negative impact on the customer experience. We cannot expect customers to receive the ultimate brand experience, while the workforce is not afforded the same standards from the employer.
Steps to success
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Get to know employees – take the time to listen to their thoughts, ask them questions, and adopt a human approach to management to build a happy and motivated team of people around you. The employee experience should be prioritised before anything else.
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Companies that make an ongoing effort to build a positive culture will reap the benefits – increasing employee engagement is an important part of this. A well-engaged employee means rather than simply showing up, they feel motivated and effective within an organisation.
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Companies need to determine just how satisfied, loyal and committed their employees are – and if employees are feeling undervalued – this needs to be addressed right away. Employees who don’t feel satisfied or appreciated cannot be fully engaged.
Why is engagement important in an organisation?
Analysing key areas for employees, such as their sense of personal progression and development, will give companies a more informed understanding of how employees feel about their work. Research is key to determining employee engagement, whilst analytics makes it possible to measure improvements to the employee experience, the customer experience, and the bottom line.
Employee engagement encourages organisations to thrive through:
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Creating better customer relations
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Higher employee retention
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Increased productivity within the workplace
With today’s increasing competition for the very best talent, it’s not enough to attract talent – engaging and nurturing this talent is just as critical.
How can employees’ needs be met effectively?
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Find out what motivates your employees – this could be achieved through an internal employee poll or survey
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Outline your expectations – clear expectations and regular communication with staff will lend itself well to improved employee engagement
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Set goals for employees – employers should talk candidly about challenges, goals and vision, and listen to their workforce to reap the benefits
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Offer constructive feedback regularly – narrow the time gap between performance and feedback, and provide encouraging and supportive feedback to staff
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Empower employees – ask employees how they can help and contribute to the company’s success to reaffirm that their opinion matters
Keep employees at the centre of your business
Knowing employees and fostering their talent plays a fundamental role in motivating them to deliver their very best. Employees deserve to be at the centre of any business, in order to contribute to the overall growth and success of a company.