“Wow, she must really love her job!” You’ve most likely heard phrases similar to this one when you happen upon an employee who just exudes pride in what they do. The competitiveness of the business world has forced companies to think beyond revenue, expenses, and sales transactions. Employees, even those on the front-line of customer service, are being depended on more than ever to go above and beyond for their job. There are, of course, thousands of stories of proud employees proving they love their work through the extra efforts they put in and the smiles on their faces (and the customer’s faces!). We remember these stories because they become perfect examples of companies who must be doing something right.
Are you giving your employees the opportunity to be proud of what they do? It’s a simple question that might cause the most frustration when you attempt to answer. Before thinking about the incentives, bonuses, and other perks you offer to employees, focus on whether or not you allow your employees to truly immerse themselves in their work.
According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, Mercedes-Benz USA allowed each salesperson to take home a car for a few days after coming to the realization that, although treating their employees fairly, they lacked in ensuring their front-line staff believed in what they were selling, These employees could see how it felt to drive and be seen driving one of the most esteemed auto brands and therefore grew a more personal enthusiasm when it came to sales.
“Dealers could train more, and even pay more, but until front-line people genuinely cared more, it was hard for them to serve customers with an authentic sense of connection,” the author says. “If you expect people to give exceptional performance every day, especially in hard and unglamorous jobs, make sure they have a reason to believe.”
Is your mission statement something employees can connect with, or did you create a phrase with the hope that your staff will “get it” eventually? There’s often a missing correlation between a company’s mission statement and the actual actions and behavior that develops in the workplace. Ask many employees across the United States what the mission or values of their employers are, and you might get a few blank stares. According to Gallup, only 27% of American employees believe in their employer’s values. And, 61% of employees reported not knowing the mission statement at all. If you’re not even sure about the power of your mission and values, how can you hope for your employees to have any connection?
According to Gallup, only 27% of American employees believe in their employer’s values.
Although often mistaken as out-dated or useless, mission statements continue to be valuable assets to successful organizations – especially when employees are able to connect and support them. Ask yourself what it is you want your employees to work for – is it for a common purpose or for their bi-weekly pay stub?
Continually promoting your mission statement in widely-accessed platforms like your intranet or recognition program can be a great way to make sure it is known and understood throughout your company.
Are you linking your recognition program to your company’s values? The employees in your office are recognizing each other for putting in extra work and surpassing expectations, but are they also being rewarded for the choices they make in alliance with the company’s values and mission?
According to a recent study, 70% of companies that aligned their recognition programs to their core values saw a greater return on investment than those that didn’t. This means, instead of rewarding employees for selling a certain amount of cars, you’re rewarding those employees who showed the most passion, pride, customer-service, or surpassing their own smaller goals.
70% of companies that aligned their recognition programs to their core values saw a greater return on investment than those that didn’t.
If you allow employees to believe you’re only recognizing them for the company’s benefit – in hopes of boosting revenue – it will have the opposite effect. You yourself must also allow your company’s values to resonate through your own decisions. You can’t expect others to be proud of what they do if you’re not.
Ask yourself these questions and take action where needed and you will be on the right track towards building a proud, successful, and engaged workforce in 2020!
Instilling pride in your employees is one of the most important things you can do as a business leader. Taking pride in your work means accomplishing more, putting in extra effort, and achieving higher levels of success as a company!
Build employee pride by continually communicating your vision and core values. Celebrate accomplishments and deliver honest feedback. Give your employees tangible ways that they can truly immerse themselves in their work and feel connected.
Make sure your core values are ever-present in the workplace. This include having physical manifestations of them, as well as including them in your intranet, and employee recognition program. Why is it important to have pride in your work?
How do you build employee pride?
How do you promote core values in the workplace?
WorkProud is committed to helping its clients create a unified approach to the employee experience by helping them build cultures of workplace pride. Trusted by millions of users at some of the world’s most recognized employer brands, WorkProud delivers a comprehensive approach to building company cultures that inspire people to be Proud of their Work and Proud of their Company.
Every month, we share news, knowledge, and insight into what we believe is a pretty simple proposition: If you are “proud of your work and proud of your company,” you are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to stay with your company for the long haul.
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