People Over Profit: Is Now the Time to Prioritise Your Team?
IS NOW THE PERFECT TIME TO INVEST IN YOUR TEAM?
While I don't want to spend too long going through the seismic shift that faces the jobs market in 2021, it's very clear that throughout every industry, we have more jobs than people to fill them. The reason for this isn't straightforward and has many factors (especially here in the UK), but no matter what country or industry you are in, if you were ever going to invest in your team, now is the time.
'People over profit' is a very famous line that some people live by, and others run away from. If you run a successful business or have run one in the past, you already know that the business only works if the people inside it feel inspired to put in their best work and drive the company forward. When people feel like they are just at a job or don't feel that the management structure above them cares for their well being, they will not feel inspired to help you grow your business.
How do I put my team first?
Let’s be honest, for most people, if they didn’t have to work; they wouldn’t. We would spend more time doing the things we love and investing our efforts into our hobbies. However, suppose you work in a sector you love, which thankfully many people do in the creative industry. The only thing that can make you feel unvalued in your job is If you are treated like a transaction and seen as just another company resource. Employers that treat their staff this way will run into issues with staff happiness, company culture and ultimately staff retention. Understanding why your team is working for you and ensuring that the role has learning opportunities, goal rewards, and career progression will make your staff feel valued and cared for.
Trust
One of the many things we try to implement at UNBXD is trust. We have all worked at companies that have a heavy top-down approach that doesn’t allow teams to speak up and have their ideas heard.
Having your employees feel ignored and their opinions don’t matter makes them feel unhappy at work and unwilling to try new ideas. Listen to them, everyone has different experiences, and their ideas might be better than yours; you are a team after all.
Investing
This can be tricky; not every company is reaping massive profits and can afford to increase workers' salaries. However, rather than thinking about wages as just someone's paycheck, think about it as a long-term investment into their future. Are they being paid fairly for the work they do? Is there room for movement in salary, or a bonus system to reward staff? When you invest in someone, they notice and are more likely to stay at your company and enjoy their job. If you are a smaller company and can't afford to increase wages, you must focus on the work environment and culture.
Environment
It’s hard to strike a balance here; you want your team to know that they are in a mature working environment, but you also want them to work in a light and fun space they know they can enjoy working in and not fear mistakes. We are all adults, and we all make mistakes; one of the biggest reported stresses of work for many people is the fear of making a mistake.
Having your team fear mistakes will only increase work-based stress and cause greater anxiety. This leads to a less enjoyable work atmosphere and ultimately will lead to more mistakes.
Create a safe and open environment that allows the team to bounce ideas with yourself and others to calm any workplace anxiety and minimise risks.
Overtime and Life Balance
Conceptually, Putting an employee on a salary is a good idea. This creates job security and financial security for them; however, some employers think this means that a salary covers any overtime needed to complete a job, even if that means 12 hour days. Overtime is overtime; you are asking to eat more time away from someones personal life to grow your business. They need to be compensated for that, or better yet, not asked to do this at all.
A work-life balance is essential to a happy life. This also includes evening emails, weekend calls and after-hours texts. Make no mistake, your staff are busy and have things going on outside of your business; work-related emails (for the most part) can wait until the next day. Creating that separation gives staff time to breathe, and in return, they will feel more refreshed the next day.
Work flexibility
We have written bout this before in previous blogs, but if your company can, and you feel you trust your employees, offering flexibility in home working is a great way to keep your team happy. Not everyone will want it, but those that do will appreciate it. Don’t forget; this doesn’t have to be all the time; flexible Fridays have been very popular in many businesses, and with so many of us working from home over the last two years, it's easier than ever to implement.
These are just a few ideas you can take on board and implement throughout your business to increase employee satisfaction, make people feel valued and share the rewards of hard work done by the whole team. Check out more of our work culture blogs and success stories by visiting the blog now!
