I think most would agree that if you want loyal, happy customers, you have to have to create loyal, happy employees.  However, it seems this truth is mostly lip-service to many businesses.  The first thing I hear from executives when I mention this is, “This means paying people more and we can’t afford to do that.”  My response is, “the solution isn’t about pay; it’s about creating a better experience both within the organization with your employees and outside the organization with your customers.”  What surprises me is the look I get when I use the word experience when talking about employees.  Almost everyone knows and understands the idea of customer experience but employee experience?  They’ve typically never thought about that.

By employee experience I am not suggesting an investment in day care or pool tables or paid college or any of that Googly stuff.  What I am suggesting is looking at some simple needs of people and doing things to provide for them.

But what do people want?  In my experience, both customers and employees want the same things, Ease, Enjoyment and Success.  To clarify, what I mean is 1) Easy processes where hassles are kept to a minimum and are constantly being looked at and improvements sought out; 2) Enjoyable people and experiences where consideration is paid to the primal needs of image, confidence, empowerment, belonging, and equity; and 3) where helping people to be Successful and to achieve their goals is the foundation of the culture.

The question to you is this: what are you doing to create a better employee experience?

What are you doing to make your processes easy for your employees, where are their pain points, where do they get bogged down in red tape, where can policies and regulations be simplified to minimize hassle?

How are you leading people and making their workplace more enjoyable and rewarding?  Are you listening, engaging, empowering, and acknowledging the value they bring?

And finally, what are you doing to ensure your employees achieve their goals?  Do you care about their goals, do you spend time to learn what they want in life, and do you give them the resources, training and support to help them get there?

The experience of your employees will directly influence the experience of your customers.  Some simple investment in Ease, Enjoyment and Success can make all the difference.  It’s time to move business forward, stop trying to manage people; rather, lead them by serving them.