HOW ABOUT THIS...
It might seem extravagant to consider people costs outside of your salary budget but think again. Deloittes reported in 2020 that for every £1 spent on employee wellbeing there's a £5 return in profit. In addition, McKinsey identified in 2021 that spending to enhance the employee experience (EX) brings about a 40% increase in discretionary effort as well as 16x more engagement into the company and its objectives over those employees with negative experiences. And don't forget, employees are also customers...
In addition, employees are now much more 'lifestyle savvy' and know what they want from both their work and their life. If they don't get it they'll either vote with their feet or get sick. And we know who carries the cost for that. The CIPD reported in 2022 that lost days to sickness absence cost an organisation on average c£800 per person each year, so you do the maths.
In the current climate, and more so than ever before, workers require and demand so much more from their employers, it’s no longer just about a job, it is a lifestyle, particularly for the generations Y, Z and beyond. They want support, nourishment and fulfilment and they look to the place where they spend most of their time to find that - they look to you, their employer. People spend a third of their life in work and about a third of their waking hours carrying out work so when doing so it makes sense that this should enrich their life and not take away.
Organisations cannot function without employees, leaders, or owners, so optimising their contribution is a business essential, not desirable. In addition employees give what they get, so if everyone was to give their best to one another then the total output would be ‘best’. It’s a win:win.
Developing an ethos of discretionary effort and a self-motivated work ethic will undoubtedly contribute towards a high performing organisation. But to get here you need to allow and support your employees to be human beings, not just employees or workers. By building and optimising conditions that allow people to thrive at work your people will then become the key enablers of your organisation's success - if your organisation is able to give, be, and live it's best then that’s exactly what your employees will do, and then the relationship becomes both meaningful and symbiotic.
Failing to consider this as part of your business strategy will put you behind the competition. Never before has it been so prevalent to consider all elements of ESG - your consumers want to see this, your stakeholders want to see this, your investors want to see this, and most importantly your people want to FEEL this.
There is no other way to ‘best’.