Forget Employee Engagement: Go For The Love!
The following is an edited excerpt from the book, From Like to Love: Inspiring Emotional Commitment from Employees and Customers, by Keith Alper.
Why is Google thriving and Yahoo has all but disappeared? Quality products and services play a part in the success of an organization, but I believe it all starts and ends with company culture. When someone has a solid career and can choose between competing workplaces in the same industry, culture is the main differentiator.
Creating A “Loveable” Culture
A loveable corporate culture begins at the top of the organization, with senior leadership setting the tone. Their priorities are made obvious to employees through their everyday actions, and those become the spirit of the culture. For example, if they only care about financial results, that will be the sole motivation behind everyone’s daily tasks. While good financial results benefit employees, shareholders, and stakeholders, top companies make establishing a positive company culture their top priority. A business that is all about profits will never succeed.
Corporate culture can’t be an “also-ran.” The C-suite has to encourage employee love. I understand the word love can be hard to embrace, but it truly is the catalyst to success. Have you thought about how your company has accommodated employee needs and requests over the past ten years? Do you know how your salaries rank versus the competition?
An engaging culture requires executive sponsorship, and will positively impact your bottom line if it gets the attention it deserves. When leaders put their people first and focus to make sure employees love the company, it pays off. They get happy, engaged employees and the natural sequence of success that follows.
Emotional Bank Account
Think of company culture as an emotional bank account. You constantly put in deposits, and you have the option to make withdrawals. For example, if your company plans to institute a policy that some employees don’t like, you must have enough in your emotional bank account to make a withdrawal.
If the account is well-padded, the unfavorable policy won’t create an overdraft. Every company makes mistakes, but if you always put culture and engagement first, the emotional bank account will be full.
I know we’ve made mistakes at our company. We do all we can to put our employees first, but occasionally, something that aligns with company goals doesn’t align with what employees want.
For example, our company was small when it first began, and there weren’t many women in the organization. After our workforce grew and became more diverse, it was brought to our attention that we needed to make changes to our maternity-leave policy. As male leaders, we weren’t aware of the ways in which it was lacking until two female employees approached us with proposed changes. New mothers needed more time off and the option to work from home or bring their babies into the office. We reviewed their requests and updated the policy immediately. This was a small change, but it made a big difference; it was easy, and it was the right thing to do. We went from having no plan at all to creating a robust one, which helped move our employees from like to love.
Pulse Check
A doctor checks your pulse when you go in for a physical because it’s a vitally important indicator of how your entire body is functioning. In the same fashion, it’s imperative to check the pulse of your organization. Every company has good and bad days — they even have good and bad months. Pulse checks keep leadership informed of these less-than-ideal days, and they can use the information gathered to find solutions.
There are many ways to conduct pulse checks, but they have to be real. You must execute them in an effective manner, understand the results, and plan to address the areas that may need attention. To get you brainstorming, I’ll share a pulse check method we use at our agency, CPG.
We have a meter with red and green buttons near our exit that asks employees, “How was your day today?” They can choose green or red before they go home for the day, and the data then goes to our chief operating officer (COO).
We don’t fret too much if there are a couple of reds. We know it could be because employees have stressful events in their personal lives, or they may have had some difficulty with a coworker that morning, or perhaps they’re dealing with a demanding client situation or project. When the majority of employees choose red, however, we know it’s time to investigate.
When this happens, leadership huddles together and asks, “What’s going on?” Then we do employee surveys to dig deep. We ask staff to rank many different areas, such as work environment, tools and resources, work quality, and overall satisfaction. We also ask them to share their thoughts on our strategic partnerships when appropriate. We’re transparent about the results: we share the good, the bad, and the ugly. We don’t BS our employees. We explain what’s happening and we work collectively to come up with solutions.
Recording and investigating “red days” is part of the continual care and feeding of our corporate culture — we view them as opportunities to examine how we can improve and make changes where necessary to show employees the love.
Transparency Is Critical
Transparency is also critical in creating a culture of love. What has become apparent from the stories that have emerged from the “Me Too” movement is that there is a lack of transparency at many companies. The truth is often hidden behind lawsuits and secret payouts.
In today’s digital age, it’s impossible for companies to hide their true colors. Employees expect honesty from their employers — they expect not to be lied to. This is especially true for Millennials — who are 50 percent of the current workforce — because they are accustomed to unlimited access to information. They are far less tolerant of secrets than previous generations, and we’ve seen that open communication is more prevalent in younger companies than in older ones. Millennials want to know what a company is doing, why they are doing it, and they want to know immediately — they demand transparency. Companies can no longer hide information under the carpet or try to blend it into gray areas.
Of course, issues around transparency don’t always involve full-blown scandals. More common are employee concerns about promotions, raises, and bonuses. Companies should be honest with their employees. Important company-related news needs to be shared. It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad. Being open with your people lets them know you’re all in this together.
Sharing bad news with my employees isn’t fun, but I don’t put it off — I share it truthfully, and I share it immediately. We share disappointment in losses, but I get to deliver good news, too, and then we celebrate wins. We share everything.
The Top Twenty-Five
With the heat turned up in the talent war, companies are eager to appear in the top twenty-five on “Best Places to Work” lists. These are regularly featured inForbes, Fortune, USA Today, and in local or regional publications. However, companies don’t realize that it takes work to get on — and stay on — those lists.
Recently, we worked with an organization that wanted to be on a “Best Places to Work” list right away. However, the change that was necessary for them to achieve that goal wasn’t going to happen overnight. They needed to refine their culture, infuse a healthier work environment, and establish clear lines of communication. These elements of change weren’t unique to them — they would have been necessary for most organizations to make it to the top twenty-five of “Best Places to Work.”
We explained that even after the changes are implemented, it will take time to see the results. It could be a year or two before employees begin saying, “This company is wonderful. I’m engaged, and they have a diverse, inclusive community. Leadership listens to me and communicates well. I’m proud to work here!”
The series of steps required to make the list might sound simple, but the reality is, it’s difficult to get on, and even harder to stay. Once a company makes it into the top twenty-five, their status is not secured. A giant one-time initiative isn’t enough to hold their position, and organizations strive to remain on the list year after year.
Sending Mixed Messages
Basic information must be communicated to employees in a direct and consistent manner. Be clear about their job responsibilities and whom they report to, and provide direction on how they can succeed with the company. Sending mixed messages about authority and responsibility won’t create a culture of love — leaders can’t say one thing and then do another.
A retail client’s company executive told us, “We want our managers to feel like they own the store.” However, when we toured their stores and talked to their managers, they said, “Not only do we not feel like we own the store, we don’t even feel like we have a say in everyday matters.”
We had to identify the source of disconnect and get everyone in the organization on the same page. Since the managers didn’t feel like they owned the store, senior leadership took time to listen to their concerns and found ways to give them more autonomy. Managers were given the authority to: hire new staff; determine compensation, bonuses, and promotions; and select merchandise for their location. As the transition occurred and managers were given more decision-making freedom, it was no surprise that sales and employee satisfaction increased as a result.
Case Study: Southwest Airlines
It may not be a coincidence that Southwest Airlines is based out of Love Field in Dallas, Texas. Their logo is love, and they are the perfect example of a company that has successfully transitioned employees from like to love. Even if they weren’t a client, they would still be my favorite airline — I believe they are the North Star for how a company should be run.
According to Cheryl Hughey, the company’s managing director of culture:
We’re a forty-seven-year-old company, and our tactics to create an “employee-first” focus have evolved. Our culture is an essential part of Southwest, and an area of the business we proactively work to preserve. There isn’t an exact formula to our unique culture, because culture means something different to everyone, and we want to empower employees to be authentic. We’re free to display culture in the way that makes the most sense to us as individuals.
We’re also committed to listening to employees’ feedback and tuning into their sentiment. Knowing how employees feel day-to-day in their work environment helps move the needle from, “I like my job,” to “I love my job.” Our leaders strive for positive daily leader/employee interaction, where employees feel heard, respected, and informed.
Many Southwest Airlines employees are union workers, which means they have intermediary representation between themselves and the organization. While the company and the unions may disagree from time to time, Southwest maintains strong relationships with the union groups. In fact, union employees are some of the company’s biggest advocates. Their love for Southwest speaks volumes about their company culture.
To their credit, Southwest Airlines has turned hiring into an art form. They know employees are more likely to be engaged if they get the right people into the right roles, so they take hiring very seriously — they almost act like movie producers casting for roles. Finding the best fit for each person can make all the difference in the world and creates a solid foundation for employee engagement. The company also offers leading benefits such as a 401(k) matching program and profit sharing to recruit quality employees.
Southwest Airlines is serious about what they do, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. On Halloween, even the CEO dresses in a costume, and locations throughout Southwest’s vast network are encouraged to demonstrate their fun-loving attitude in various ways. Some might find dressing up to be silly, but it’s one example of how the company encourages a fun environment. If employees have fun and enjoy being at work, that feeling gets transferred to the customers.
Case Study: Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels is a new company with just one hotel open and a few more being developed around the world. Right now, this is working to their advantage. Richard Branson started the business knowing they had to set themselves apart from the competition. “We want our hotel to be unique,” says Branson. “We want it to operate differently than any other. We want to bring in extraordinary people, so they will do extraordinary things.”
One thing to love about Virgin Hotels is that they put employees first. They are committed to engagement and transparency within their company, they take care of employees, and they provide an outstanding benefits package. Their employees love working there!
According to Clio Knowles, VP of people:
We have a Rally at least once per day to get everyone amped up for their shift, and a different manager leads every time. A Rally covers company news, employee birthdays, and a fun culture fact or quote of the day. Recently, we’ve started asking questions like, “If you could be wealthy now, or live to be one hundred, which would you choose?” Or, sometimes we’ll just go completely off script and do a line dance.
We have different events on a weekly or monthly basis, and some aren’t planned in advance on a calendar. Today, my Director of People and I were trying to decide if we could all do a karaoke contest through the Dub Smash app before the end of the year, but since we’re already having a holiday party and making gingerbread houses this week, we decided to hold off on the karaoke. We make sure our teammates have fun on the job, while still getting their work done.
The moment you walk into one of their hotels, you can tell this company is different. Employees trade off job responsibilities, which provides a refreshing customer experience. For example, if a bellhop isn’t available to get your luggage to your room, another employee will show up at the front desk and assume the role. The company has eliminated silos, so all employees can focus on customer service.
Companies like Virgin Hotels and Southwest Airlines make it their business to deepen employee engagement, and this creates a culture of real heart and caring. They are truly two of the best places to work.
For more on creating loyalty from employees and customers, check out From Like to Love: Inspiring Emotional Commitment from Employees and Customers, by Keith Alper.
