How To Make a Team of Great, Committed Employees
Businesses need many things to survive, thrive and grow. They need a sound financial base – cash. They need a great product or service that they can market and sell. They need the discipline to follow a sound business plan, and they need good people. Without a good team that can work together and execute on plan, a company can have the best product line ever…but it will not succeed.
So how can you turn a team of good employees into a team of great committed employees? Let’s look at four ideas:
1. Training
Employees cannot be good at their jobs – much less great at their jobs – unless they know what their jobs are and how they should do them. Spend some time creating a training program for your business, aligning it closely with your business goals. Properly trained employees are more likely to become committed, productive employees, since they will have clear goals, a better understanding of how to perform their job duties and a greater understanding of how those job duties fit within the entire organization.
2. Compensation
Compensation can powerfully influence employee commitment, but an effective compensation package needs to be designed to support employee commitment and engagement. For example, a company that offers a strong salary package, but no retirement plan, may see strong engagement from their employees, until they commit to another company that can support their retirement goals. On the other hand, a company that offers a strong retirement plan with traditional seniority-based pay grade system may have committed (but less engaged) employees, as these workers “coast” towards retirement
3. Communicate and Reward
Many times, managers only point out when their employees are doing something wrong. However, in many cases, it is important to stop and communicate to your employees when they are doing something right. Everyone likes to be appreciated, acknowledged and rewarded. Develop a rewards program that rewards the positive. It is does not need to be monetary. Sometimes praise, gratitude and making a “big deal” out of the actions is reward enough.
4. Internal Promotions
No one wants to do the same job for 40 years, so the ability to be promoted within is crucial in the development of committed employees. Job openings that are filled internally help develop great committed employees that are familiar to your business practices and are now invested in your success. Job opportunities that are filled from within your company provide you with an employee that is loyal, trustworthy and happy.
With the right training, positive reinforcement, compensation and opportunities for advancement, good employees can become great committed employees. A committed employee is one that will remain with the company, is familiar with your business practices, feels invested in your success, and (more importantly) will work towards that success.
Snelling is here to help. With over 60 years of experience, we have been helping companies all over the United States find and retain great, committed employees. For more information on other workplace engagement issues, visit our Workplace Research section of the Snelling Client Resource Hub on our website. We are here to leverage our experience to help you succeed.
