One strategy to become a competetive and attractive employer is to treat your employees as your customers. A workplace should consist of more than sales and sallaries. Meaning is of greater importance. David over at 37signals wrote beautifully about this in “Put a dent in the universe“:

“To truly be inspired for great work, you need to know that you’re making a difference. That you’re putting a meaningful dent in the universe. That you’re part of something that’s making a difference and that your role in that something is significant.”

This is very true. The question is, how do you make your workplace significant? When you write PM’s, what are you focusing on? My guess is that you focus on how your product line will improve over the next months, how last months sales went and then you finish up with a promise about that upcoming mandatory holiday party you’ll be arranging. Where is the significance in this to me as an employee?

To me as an employee, it is useful to know the numbers, but only if my eventual feedback on these numbers will ever be considered and treated with respect. If not, I actually don’t give a damn. And why should I?

If your employees are limited to a box where they can post ideas about eventual improvements you might consider some time in the future, expect no love. The formal authority must be shared in order to open up for real love and practical use of the collective brilliance of your team.

I you as an employer look at your employees as your customers, you’ll constantly try to make your offer look and work better for them. You’ll always try to improve, and you’ll do your best to keep them more than satisfied. In fact, you’ll do your best to make them love your sweet deal. You want them to feel important, as if their work really mattered. And of course, it does. You can’t  fake this, if you’re clueless about how to approach this, ask someone for advices.

A basic course in marketing teaches you that your company have to have a story towards your customers. What story are you telling your employees? Or even better, what stories are you and your employees making, together? Do you have any tools for this? Are you sharing your love for your work with the world? In which way are your work improving the world? In which way are your work improving itself? In what way are you helping your employees grow? If your work isn’t developing the world right now, then change customers! Help your customers make the right choices. Make your work important!