employees are customers too
I love going to work. Some people find this a slightly strange statement, but I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones who enjoys and takes pride in what they do. I use the term “one of the lucky ones” as I realise that there are plenty of jobs I would hate to do. In my role at Rackspace I spend a lot of time working with our customers to help them become more successful online. There is a strong focus delivering outstanding service at Rackspace and it is something that closely mirrors my personal outlook. There is such a heavy focus on customer experience in the digital world, it got me thinking about internal customers. Who are they? How important are they? What about the importance of delivering a great employee experience?
The payback loop
A highly motivated employee will deliver great customer service. A customer who receives great service will consume your products (and if you are lucky will become a promoter). Invest in staff and they will become motivated and we are back at the start. In short this payback loop is the business reason that employee experience is so important. This is not just about caring for people. There are clear commercial benefits which will help your company achieve greatness. Employee experience is in everyone’s best interest. You can make the comparison between the competency of leadership and staff (i.e. a poor management team will foster a culture of underperformance). I think the same is also true of the location.
Location, location, location
In a good environment, the quality, consistency and volume of your output will be higher. If you work from home, then I bet you would pick the best spot in the house! I haven’t had many jobs, but I have visited over 100 offices. It always amazes me how awful some of them are. It is almost without exception that the organization is a reflection of the workplace. Bright, tidy, nice offices house professional, efficient and successful companies. If it is not very nice, then it is probably not a very nice place to work! Where you put your people is key to employee experience. Not every company can afford to have a fancy office. Green plants, communal areas and good furniture are excellent starting points. Most people spend one third of their day at work, we deserve pleasant surroundings.
It is the small things that count
With the rise of the digital startup, small, agile organisations have recognized that employee engagement is even more vital. Attracting great talent is important when you are growing. Top performers will “wear multiple hats” or perform more than one role. They will devote themselves to delivering success. Hiring them and keeping hold of them is not easy. There are plenty of examples of excellent (and sometimes incredible) staff benefits. You don’t have to mirror these, quick wins can be implemented that can make a difference. These are things that I have experienced first hand by working for some really great employers. I can remember telling friends that I get my birthday as a bonus holiday each year and hearing how they would never get that. Examples include:
- Birthday as a bonus day off
- Free breakfast in the office (cereal, toast, fruit)
- A healthy way of life (free yoga classes or gym membership)
- Snacks and drinks (fruit, sodas, baked goods)
- Encouraging community outreach (time off for charity work)
Delivery from the top down
You can’t fake this type of culture. Improving employee experience has to be focused on the staff. Just like working to improve customer engagement, you have to think about your audience. Everyone from the senior management team down needs to believe in making it a better place to work. So how does this really help? I have seen clear improvements in teamwork, atmosphere and camaraderie. For example, if you provide breakfast in the office and it is a nice environment then colleagues tend to arrive a bit earlier. They sit down, chat and become friends. The cost of this small benefit is not huge, but the engagement it can deliver is immeasurable. Do you think someone will stay at work a bit later to help out, if they are making things easier for a friend? Of course they will.
There are clearly business benefits to employee experience. These should be considered as secondary outcomes to a happy workforce, but can also be used to demonstrate the value of an employee experience program.
Where do you start?
This should be the easy part! Speak to your colleagues and find out what frustrates them or what they’d improve. Encouraging them to think creatively is the key. If you search online there are plenty of examples, aside from those which I have highlighted in this article. Empowering teams to build out employee experience is the “double whammy” of getting this right. Not only should you end up with a meaningful end product, but giving employees responsibility means they are bought in.
Almost no company can deliver success or growth without the backing of a motivated and happy workforce. Think of staff as internal customers who need to be engaged every single day. Thinking about employee experience strategically and making a concerted effort is important. I think that the term “human resources” is one of the worst business terms I have heard. We are all people and if we have to come to work everyday, why shouldn’t it be a good experience?
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