I’m here to let you in on a little secret: If you want an environment in which employees serve and love your customers, you have to serve and love your employees first. At Paycom, we do a lot of things to show our employees we care, including monthly luncheons, surprise snack carts, anniversary flowers and an annual party to celebrate our success, just to name a few.
As a result, 95 percent of our employees say they would recommend Paycom as a best place to work. This is terrific news, especially considering culture is a top concern for businesses.
So what are we doing correctly?
Here at Paycom, we’ve built a culture everyone enjoys and helps to maintain. Each employee is an impact player!
What percentage of employees would recommend your company as a best place to work?
Getting Started
Do you want to foster this same kind of atmosphere at your organization? Here are three easy steps to get you started.
- Serve them. Your employees spend the majority of their time at work: five days a week and sometimes more, if that’s what it takes to get the job done. They make great efforts to serve your customers, and every once in a while, returning the favor is a much-appreciated treat. Pick a day, any day, and have the entire leadership team serve breakfast. Ask leaders to greet employees and thank them personally for their service to the company. The key to success here is bacon; everyone loves bacon.
- Get to know them. When new people join our team, the first thing we do is survey them. We want to know favorite colors, favorite sports teams, prized possessions, kids’ names, number of pets, who they look up to, etc. Why should you care about things like this? Because these are things that matter to your people and so they should matter to you – that is, if you want to cultivate any sort of positive relationship. When you truly understand a person, both personally and professionally, it’s easier to connect and build a sense of trust. Employees who feel respected and cared for are generally happier and more productive.
- Meet with them. Setting goals and expectations upfront is a must, but it isn’t a one-time conversation. Employees need and want regular feedback. Schedule consistent one-on-ones with individuals to evaluate performance and reset goals. Make sure you reiterate what your expectations are, but let that employee establish expectations for his self or herself. Then, be there to hold him or her accountable.
Often, culture becomes something businesses try too hard to control, when in fact, culture is not dictated; it’s organic. Empower your people to participate in creating that culture by following the steps above.
