The value of being valued

Some companies seem to hire people to make money for the owners, others really want to take care of their staff, and then there is a lot of variation in between.

For any organisation that wants to make the most out of its resources, getting the best version out of every single employee in the house would be a good way to do that. We are not talking about whipping them till burnout, but the idea that when the workforce feels valued, feels they have a purpose and come to work for other reasons than just a regular paycheck and maybe a pingpong table (and I doubt you hired them to play pingpong), they will be a lot more valuable for the company and make the company more valuable in the process. When people are hired for menial tasks, not listened to if they care enough to try to contribute with improvement suggestions, or have lost their trust in their employer a long time ago, you are leaking money.

When a company hires with the best person we can find for the lowest salary we can get away with -mentality, the results can be ok, but they will not be the best they can be. Someone good at what they do will probably move on somewhere where they are valued pretty soon. It would be better for you if the people who are not very good at what they do (nor care to become better) left, but it is not as likely to happen. Someone who only does as little as they can to get paid, is a very, very expensive employee. Also, if you pay minimum wage you can’t expect maximum effort. Is there something else of real value that you are offering in addition? No one was born to make you money, so there should be a reasonable value exchange for both sides. If it is not money now, then there should be realistic chances for promotion and more money in the future, or other perks. As long as other companies pay their staff well, can you afford to take your staff for granted or think that as they have walked into the trap, they will put up with anything now.

"It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do” -Steve Jobs

People don’t work only to make money to pay bills. We are creatures who need a purpose and to feel valued as well as to learn new things. Some more than others. Anyone who has been unemployed knows how degrading it is to not feel needed for anything. We do need money to pay the bills, but what drives most of us is to be needed and do something we like. We are drawn to what drives us, and that is why we chase dream jobs and have goals. Finding a workplace that understands that and gives us a chance to use our skills, listens to our ideas and opinions, and provides us an environment where ideas can be born is so important. Those companies are too rare and that is why it is also very difficult to get in. They know the value of skills and passion. It is a win-win deal.

Let’s use Google as an example. It has once again been selected as the best company to work for in the UK and everyone knows how hard it is to even get to an interview. Once you are in, you are encouraged to learn and share your ideas, and you also get paid reasonably. The best part of it? They are still - or because of it -making billions. They know their people are an asset, not a cost.

If you want to hire the best, use their skills, listen to their ideas, and let them bring in the value they can bring. Don’t limit their input only to the things in their team. Maybe they have previous experience or hobbies that have given them skills and knowledge that can be useful for other teams in the company. Help people bloom. After all, it is you who has the most to lose.