Why value my employees before my customers?

It goes against everything you were ever taught about putting the customer first. However, understanding that it is your employees who are responsible for the happiness (or otherwise) of your customers can help put some logic into this topic. Therefore it would be a safe assumption that you can, in reality, only keep your customers happy if your staff feel likewise.

In other words, the ability to leverage employee value and create job satisfaction now plays a more critical role than ever in a global economy. More plainly still, your workforce is now – or should be – your true creator of value.

Your workforce is your most valuable asset
Considering when just about any company has access to the same raw materials, management systems and technology as you, it’s down to the performance of your workforce to set you apart from your competitors.

Employee turnover costs companies millions each year in recruitment, training and administrative costs. Additionally, the vast majority of most companies’ assets are related to intangible capital such as experience and skill. Studies show that if a company were to lose equipment over a workforce, they would be back in business in a shorter time period compared to one which would suffer a loss of its workers.

Perhaps you begin to see how incumbent it is upon management to treat your employees well in order for employees to perform at their peak. After all, expecting good customer service from employees who are not enjoying good management service seems farfetched.

Cost and the workforce
Until now, perhaps you have thought of your products, brands and customers as your primary source of profit and value, while your employees have been regarded as a cost.

The problem with this all too common viewpoint is that, when employees are regarded as a cost, this is something you almost instinctively seek to minimise.

Ask yourself if your staff fall sick, are they confident you will take care of them? If they experience deep grief or great joy, do they know you care? Would they say you valued them as individuals? Can they trust their direct managers to respect and protect them?

Be honest and analyse whether the information that mostly concerns you about your staff is related to age, gender, salary and bonuses. If so, now is the time to start thinking about them as individuals in more human terms of their performance, behaviour, attitudes and loyalty.

Creating value
Employees become committed to achieving excellence when they feel appreciated, supported and involved. So, valuing your staff before your customers boosts company morale, enhances productivity, lowers costs and drives revenue.

 All of which points to the fact: there can be little or no customer satisfaction and resultant business growth without employee satisfaction. Now, surely that makes for a compelling argument to re-evaluate your workforce’s current status.