Recruiting and retaining top talent is one of the primary goals for most business owners – with a healthy workforce, you can trust that your company is progressing in the right direction, at a steady rate. Many considerations contribute to an employee’s happiness at an organization. Putting aside compensation budgets and the size of their office, the root of employee happiness at an organization has been strongly linked to empowerment.
Today employers are excited and frustrated about the hard to please, yet extremely driven millennial workforce. Those that have tapped into the power of the generation are now case-studies of workplace culture (think Google, Zappos, or Twitter. That said – you don’t need to have a sleeping pod or ping pong table to empower millennials.
While these case studies may seem to be far reaching for the small-medium business, there are foundational principles that can be applied to companies of any size, that empower employees, increase productivity, and reduce turnover.
The Foundation is the Vision.
Studies show that employees are empowered by a company vision they can support, and the vision should communicate more than merely what the company strives to achieve for their end user. Instead, the vision should speak to three stakeholders: their clients, their employees, and their community.
Find inspiration in these visions from recognized institutions:
“To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline.” – Southwest Air
“Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.” – IKEA
“Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. (*If you have a body, you are an athlete.)” – Nike
“To be the fastest growing, most rewarding and most transformative leadership community.” – Mandala Leaders
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” – Patagonia
If internal initiatives and policy do not support a vision, then it is only a statement. To communicate the company’s vision to employees effectively, the message should be delivered through policy, benefits, and internal marketing.
Corporate Social Responsibility
CSR policies have become a crucial part of many organizations’ operations. Twenty-one percent of employers have a CSR plan aligned with their vision and business goals, and 30 percent of Canadians see these policies as a competitive advantage, according to research published by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2018.
Studies also show that there are positive correlations between a company’s CSR and its employees’ organizational commitment. As the understanding of the tangible and intangible benefits of CSR policies grows, organizations are folding them into their employee benefit plans in the form of volunteer programs, employee-driven charitable initiatives, and pension plan investment policies.
A notable example is Deloitte’s long-standing “Impact Day,” which allows employees to go out for a paid leave day each year, to volunteer. In addition to supporting time committed to community involvement, Deloitte works with charities to identify skills-based volunteer opportunities so that employees can use their practical skills to help an organization and maximize their positive impact. The company will also provide a $100 donation to the chosen charity.
Employee Health Programs and Benefits
Traditional benefits such as prescription drugs, vision, and dental are still valued and sought after. However, benefits plans that allow employees to support wellness and healthy lifestyle services provide employees the flexibility to take care of themselves. Such programs also communicate to employees that the company supports a vision of a healthy, happy team, and they care about their people first.
Plan features that serve to maintain healthy minds and bodies, rather than treat a person suffering from depression, are a growing trend for this reason. We’re also seeing employers utilizing “wellness” accounts for health spending that include non-specific medical and mental health discussions delivered by team meditation and yoga sessions, as well as on-site wellness coaching.
Read more about Workplace Wellness Initiatives for a Healthy Workforce
Internal Marketing and Technology
While there is significant groundwork that needs to be laid out to communicate new policy and internal initiatives, when employees are actively participating, they become the champions of your vision.
Using social media and technology, you can share employee volunteering experiences; money raised, internal events, health and wellness initiatives with both internal and external audiences. As many job seekers are looking for demonstrated care for the company’s employees and the community, this can be a helpful tool in recruiting.
