To succeed in the marketplace, you must succeed in the workplace. How can employers reach success in both?
As Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup once famously said, “To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace”.
While investigating how to create a winning workplace, the 2016 Global Perspectives study by ORC International revealed the following essential tips.
1) Create superfans
Superfans are staff who are vocal advocates for their organisation both as a place to work and as an excellent provider of products and services.
“Today there’s a blurring of the lines between consumer and employee perceptions around brand,” said Wendy McInnes, managing director of employee research at ORC International. She pointed to firms such as Google and Zappos as being most adept at encouraging staff to talk positively about the brand.
2) Manage people in the now
With 42% of surveyed employees keen on moving firms every few years, the research suggested it was important to manage, engage and inspire staff in the present.
To create an environment in which employees can perform their very best involves communicating a sense of purpose, designing a rapid onboarding program, and investing in people’s learning and development.
3) Empower your leaders
“Leadership is a key driver of engagement but what we’ve found is that despite all the resources pumped into leadership development programs, we’re not getting much traction,” McInnes said.
As well as executive coaching on a day-to-day basis, she also recommended the “liberation of leadership” which allows leaders to influence the entire organisation.
“We need to be leading through influencers and collaborators rather than through fear, authority and competition. The focus needs to be on authentic, agile and focused leadership.”
4) Show appreciation to staff
Meaning can be brought to employees’ work by demonstrating the value they bring to the business, ORC research suggests.
“Leaders need to use various means to recognise people for good work,” said Oliver Rust, managing director of Asia-Pacific at Engine Group – the umbrella organisation under which ORC International runs.
“It’s not one thing; it’s not giving them a gift voucher or sending them off on a junket. It’s not just about financial reward. Sometimes it’s as simple as a ‘thanks for your hard work’.”
5) Win over your staff with words
Although communications plays a crucial role in motivating staff, 49% of employees felt their firm failed to excite or inspire them in this way, the research found.
To better transform any communications, it is important to treat internal and external communication equally as seriously, use a number of channels to get your message across, and remember to have face-to-face communication once in a while.