The staff that you have at your company is the lifeblood of a business. Simply having people who are one dimensional can be profitable but it will not let a company to go to the next level. The talent that leaves your company for their next venture says a lot about a business. If a company consistently produces great employees that take a great job elsewhere, the company might turn into a hotbed for talent. All job seekers want to go to a company that takes care of their employees but also sets them up for success in the future. With this being said, if you treat your employees extremely well they won’t want to take a job elsewhere. Rewarding well-rounded and productive employees with raises as well as perks will help retain top talent. The following are some ways to help your employees become well-rounded professionally and personally.
It All Starts With Hiring
Those people who have had an unconventional path often times are quite well-rounded. Being able to adapt is one of the most important traits that a long term employee can possess. Those who have been successful in multiple industries or under multiple managers with different managing styles are the types that you want at your company. College athletes who also excelled in the classroom as well as in their sport are a perfect example. They realize the preparation that has to be done whether it is physical or mental training which correlates well to the workplace. Not to mention the self-discipline that is taught be athletics can make these employees ideal to hire. Hobbies on a resume are more important than you think as it can tell a story about the interviewee.
Educate Your Employees
A better educated employee is more likely to be more productive or beneficial to the company in another aspect. For example, a web developer with less than stellar people skills can do their job at a high level. This person might offend a client though when they visit the office or when discussing the project on a call. While you do not have to enroll this person in a full-fledged etiquette class, they could benefit from going to one during work hours once a week or they can take an online course. Education doesn’t just have to do with business related improvements. Having a financial advisor or investment educator come into the office can be a big deal. They can talk about different options for the employees’ money whether they put it in an IRA or investing in land to pad their retirement funds. Having more financially stable employees is a huge deal as money related problems can stress out an employee and impact their quality of work.
Encourage Side Projects
Employees who live and breathe company business are great but this can lead to burnout of an otherwise stellar worker. Allotting a little bit of time per week or day to work on a side project can be quite beneficial. This helps the worker learn and become better-rounded as well as reducing burnout as these projects not only benefit the company but also the individual. An example of a side project would be to write articles for an industry publication thus informing and getting attention for the company as well as personally. Other examples would be trying to optimize processes of a department or pitching changes in process in order to boost productivity. Something like getting the company to consider cloud call center options after researching them is another boost in productivity as well as helping the company deliver a better customer experience.
Reward Those Who Are Well Rounded
Rewarding those who are absolutely killing it in their own position as well as on side projects is necessary. People need to be incentivized to really embrace a change whether it is small or large. Those people who have gone through jobs in different departments and excelled are prime candidates for promotions. These employees can be great people to head up teams that include people from both departments on projects. The employee knowing the processes of multiple departments can turn them into a Swiss Army Knife of production. Rewarding those who have improved in an area or learned a new skill reinforces the importance of consistently developing as an employee. Those who are too comfortable will not want to learn or feel like they do not have to develop anymore. Stress to staff that those who keep developing as employees and people will be first in line for promotions and raises. This might motivate those who are too comfortable to go outside their comfort zone and learn something.
Well-rounded employees can be extremely profitable for a business as they can usually work in any area they have experience and thrive. Stress the projects mentioned above in a huge way as many people will just brush it off as another initiative that will fail to make an impact. Do some research and find out what skills can benefit your company the most. Don’t let your employees get too comfortable and stop developing as that is not what they are being paid for!
