Wait, do you see the vision? Have you written it down? Is the future of your company stored in your head while your employees are wondering if you are going to sell, downsize, or scale?
You may have plans to grow the company…promote everyone…start offering profit sharing. And yet your employees have no idea.
And you have started to notice signs. Maybe great employees are leaving for stable jobs, you get the sense that there is burnout, or you see that productivity is dropping.
As an HR consultant, I have helped many business owners effectively communicate with their employees, and that starts with their vision. It should be baked into everything that a business owner does – from hiring and firing to marketing, and even accepting clients. And to do that, the vision needs to be clear.
How can you find great employees who stay and help build your business? It starts by creating a culture where employees feel valued, respected, and can see their part in a bigger mission.
Here at 45 Solutions, we help you and your team build a culture that fosters a sense of inclusion while moving the business forward. Your employees are invested in the company because they believe in your vision.
Over the past 50 years, the role an employee plays in an organization’s mission and initiatives has changed significantly. Gone are the days of management dictating every move a worker makes and allowing zero room for input. Today, a strict, totalitarian workplace environment is antiquated and tends to hinder an organization’s growth.
Employees stay because they feel the vision when they interview. Then, as they start to work for your organization, they know they are appreciated because you have created a culture that values their work. They believe in your mission, align with your values, and they are all in with the team.
As an HR consultant, I can give you tips for engaging employees in your company vision and help you understand why this is an important step in retention, growth, and sustainability. I can help you communicate your company vision and get buy-in from employees.
Allow Staff To Provide Input on Company Initiatives
Your employees see the ins and outs of your company’s daily workflow and may recognize problems that your leadership misses. They likely have ideas and feedback that can contribute to your company’s growth, but if you never invite them to share, you’ll miss out on these valuable ideas.
Inviting feedback, whether through surveys, brainstorming sessions, or open conversation within your company, can help you create a workplace culture of team collaboration and innovation. Encouraging input from workers shows that you respect their ideas and can lead to better job satisfaction among employees.
Align Your Vision and Values With Everything You Do
Your company’s values should inform every decision you make. If you want your staff members to see and support your vision, you need to make it clear that those values are the guiding force within your organization.
Be purposeful about aligning your vision with your:
- Hiring process, only adding team members who share the vision
- Management and workflow, ensuring that the work you do and the way your leadership manages employees reflect your company values
- Firing process, as you may need to let go of employees who do not reflect your vision or values
Recognize and Reward Alignment
If you want to engage employees in your company vision, you need to adequately recognize and reward the times that they align with those values. For example, you might create a Vision Award that you present to one employee each quarter who has demonstrated your values through their performance.
Or perhaps you offer incentives, such as bonuses or PTO days, for times when a manager recognizes a worker showcasing one of your values. Without employee recognition, workers won’t be motivated to go beyond their basic work duties and exhibit these values.
Continually Reinforce Employee Engagement
Sharing your company values during an employee’s initial training isn’t enough to encourage long-term buy-in. You also need to continually reinforce these concepts through repetition. This might include:
- Incorporating values into employee performance feedback
- Working them into casual conversations
- Having one-on-one meetings with workers in which you reflect on how they are exhibiting the company vision
Improve Employee Motivation and Retention With 45 Solutions
At 45 Solutions, we help companies implement strategies for engaging employees, boosting retention, and improving employee satisfaction. Book a call to speak with us about how we can support your company’s mission through targeted talent acquisition, recruiting, and retention strategies.
