The world of work is changing. Thanks to social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor and Facebook, it is easier than ever to discover greater insight about a business, its leadership and its operations. Such information had previously remained out of the public domain. Now, as a result of this ‘openness revolution’, companies need to work hard to achieve an engaged, productive workforce. Here at Briggs, we see building strong relationships as key to achieving greater engagement and are therefore investing in a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) programme. It will see our employees play an increasingly important role in helping to transform the customer experience. We believe that successful businesses will be those that ensure their employees feel connected and uphold company values while also creating genuine opportunities for self-development. People want jobs they enjoy. It gives them the chance to achieve their full potential and this, in turn, helps deliver a greater customer experience. That’s why employers should be flexible when it comes to learning and development: roles must not only ‘fit’ people at the outset, but should also have the capacity to change over time as employees develop new skills. Ten per cent of companies get engagement right. Here are our five top tips to help you join them:
- Make sure employees feel valued and that they really can make a difference – understand and appreciate what each person can contribute to the organisation
- Adopt open a leadership system which empowers employees to take decisions and be accountable
- Take risks instead of following the crowd – easier said than done, sometimes, but it is the route to innovation
- Learn from mistakes – accept that taking risks will sometimes end in failure but use this to move forward
- Embrace the concept of connectivity – we are all inter-connected, so use this power to develop strength in relationships