The Value of Every Employee
For those working in management, it is easy to get hyper-focused on the task at hand. We want to do the best job possible in the least amount of time. We want to produce good numbers at the end of each fiscal period, or show great success with a new project.
In most environments, increased performance and efficiency yield higher profit. Even for those businesses that are not profit-centered, I believe that every organization with a staff of more than one stands to gain when the value of every employee is recognized.
The concept that I am going to focus on today applies to everyone in the work place. There is a valuable perspective for all positions here, but I want to speak specifically to managers and supervisors in this article.
During times when we are focused on the mission, it may be easy to forget our team’s contribution in a broader capacity. How many challenges each employee eliminates, and how they contribute to your team’s productivity beyond the immediate task at hand.
Now there are definitely bad employees in the world. But let’s assume that most of the employees you manage are pretty decent. They’ve been properly vetted. They’ve triumphed through the interview process and may even have several years of dedication to your company.
Almost every manager or supervisor started out at the line-level before stepping into management.
Having spent plenty of time at the line level and as a manager, I’ve learned that positive reinforcement and appropriate recognition produce better results than negative reactions in this day and age. Especially when dealing with Millennials.
Over my years in the office, I have studied and observed the environments, social aspects, management relationships, and assessed where I saw the most productivity and profit.
During these observations, I have noticed that bad vibes in the workplace are often a result of unappreciative management. In this situation, I’ve watched the unappreciative sentiment towards employees quickly become mutual.
I believe that there is no faster way to decrease workplace efficiency than to make an employee feel unappreciated.
I’m not saying to throw a party every time an employee shows up on time and gets their job done.
What I am saying is that you should recognize the value every person adds. Even if you don’t commonly express it.
When management consciously recognizes each and every employee’s value, they subconsciously treat those employees with proper appreciation.
As an serial entrepreneur and independent business owner, I’ve spent my time off-and-on tending bar and waiting tables to keep the cash flowing.
When I’ve worked at restaurants, The two positions I am the most grateful for are Bussers and Dish Washers.
Both positions are honest work, neither terribly prestigious. Yet I know that without those team members, I would be able to tend to fewer customers. At the end of the night, I would earn fewer tips and make less money.
I mean, if the janitor didn’t work in your office, who would sweep and take out the trash? If the IT tech wasn’t there to troubleshoot the internet and wifi, maybe that responsibility would fall in your lap.
When it comes to career self-sabotage, one of the most effective ways to decrease productivity is to express a lack of appreciation to an employee of any title.
I believe that employees who feel like they’re viewed negatively at work will eventually stop caring about their job.
When an employee doesn’t care about their mission at work, It is hard to imagine diligent and efficient performance.
When an employee’s buy-in is lost, it is only a matter of time before they are being replaced.
In-terms of efficiency and profit, maximizing retention is substantially beneficial.
Hiring and training an employee takes time, money, and resources. Every time an employee is lost, the entire investment in training/onboarding is lost.
When an employee leaves the company, the whole team has to pick up the slack. Then, a new trainee is hired while the team has to carry the weight of the departed employee. Plus take extra time to train the new team member.
What if the new team member doesn’t perform well or isn’t a good fit for the position/team? Now you are stuck with the liability of firing and the costs of hiring and training again. Or you could be burdened with a worse performer than the previous employee, combined with the costs of the new hire.
Remember, we are only at work for part of the day. The current team will only be a small part of your life for a relatively short portion of it.
Think of why you are a part of this team in the first place. Maintain your focus on the mission and perform with the most efficiency possible.
Recognize the value each team member brings to the table. Do this and you will be managing a more productive, efficient team.
On the positive side… When all members of the team recognize the value that the others bring to the table, a mutual respect for one another results in better performance and increased efficiency.
Just think to yourself… What were your best working relationships with management and your worst?
Which environment did you perform best in? Where did you feel the most driven to perform?
What I hope to encourage is success for employees and employers. In a majority of cases, success is generated through the highest retention possible. Please remember that a little appreciation can go a long way to positively influence staff and employees. In contrast, a little disregard for employees’ contribution can be extremely detrimental for your team’s productivity.
Recognizing the value of every employee and genuinely treating others well tends to make each and every day at work a bit better . It will cause others to reflect the positive energy we share with them in the workplace.
Ask yourself, what is the down-side of a more positive and more profitable team?
When you realize that employing the golden rule at work makes the days pass a bit faster and the meetings a bit more pleasant, all while generating better numbers to show at the end of the quarter, you will agree that recognizing the value of every employee is a mindset worth adopting.
After all of these words, the lesson is simple. Treat others good to generate the best results at work and you will see that the golden rule can actually increase your team’s profitability.
The Value of Every Employee
Article by Mike Gamache
Blogger, Video Producer, Colorado Mountain Life