Make Sure Your Mission and Vision Are Aligned
"The way people treat each other in companies and other organizations is affected by the common vision shared by employees, One of the deepest desires underlying shared vision is the desire to be connected to a larger purpose and one another."
- Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline
A study by the American Management Association shows that when an employees' personal values are congruent with their company's values, the employees' personal lives are better, and they feel better about their jobs.
"An organization that can create an energized, higher-calling environment will have higher retention and greater productivity."
- Gregory Smith, author of Here Today, Here Tomorrow
A larger overall purpose is the key to building loyalty, and companies with loyal employees reap the rewards. Many service organizations have long-tenured employees, because the company was able to easily link into the employees' higher calling.
So the question is, "How can your company build loyalty?"
What If Your Company Builds Bombs?
Some company's products do not lend themselves to altruistic values. Let's say that your company builds computer chips for guidance systems for bombs. I am sure that it is not comforting for some employees' to know that their work produces weapons of mass destruction.
However, if the companies mission was to improve individuals' quality of life through the products that were built by also using the same computer chips to improve the guidance systems on boats or airplanes. This may be an easier mission to internalize.
A compnay must determine it's higher purpose.
For example: Do not think of building cars; instead think of providing safety, reliability and peace of mind to consumers. Once you understand your company's higher purpose, share it with employees and applicants. Post company values in your employee manual, vacancy notices, brochures, and on your web sites.
10 commandments to increase loyalty and decrease turnover
1. Clear and frequent communication. When an organization lets employees know what is happening, employees feel more included and trusted.
2. Continuous training and tuition reimbursement. Providing on-going training is important,
It is an investment in employees, which employees see as money in the bank.
3. When a company invests in its employees, the employees are more apt to invest in the company.
4. Expect greatness. When you raise the bar, employees will meet your expectations and feel important.
5. Provide career counseling. When you help employees grow in their careers, they are more apt to stay with you and feel a sense of loyalty from the compnay.
6. Invest in employees' financial futures with a matching 401k. When you have a stake in your employee's financial future, they will want to have a stake in the companies.
7. Reward and recognize employees often. Employees crave positive feedback and will be more productive when they receive it.
8. Ask employees for input on important decisions. Employees will feel important and more committed to the mission if they are involved in the decision making.
9. Institute exit interviews when employees terminate to determine why they are leaving.
Establish a family-friendly work environment. Child-care benefits and flexible schedules allow employees to spend more time with family while still achieving company goals.
10. Allow employees to work on visible projects, or add additional duties that interest them.
Loyalty to your company mission doesn't come easily. You must build it one employee at a time.
Building loyalty is much like building trust: It's easy to tear down; the challenge is to build it up and maintain it.
Action Exercise:
First: Start today to publicly applauded your employees for a job well done. Nothing makes an employee more motivated or enthusiastic about the job they are doing than to be recognized by their peers.
Second: Start to organize different types of compensation for your employees. For example: working from home one day a week or a paid personal day. Expect greatness from all of your employees and reward them for achieving it.
