For the past 14 years, we’ve watched our customers grow their businesses, adapt to wildly unpredictable environments , and prevail in even the hardest of times. Our customers truly do inspire us, so much so that our vision to create thriving workplaces in every community is derived from the work we do together.
Given our long history with our customers and our own accolades (being awarded a Top Workplace by The San Francisco Chronicle this year) I’d say we know a thing or two about what it takes to create an environment your employees and customers will love. Here’s what you should keep in mind if you want to be a top workplace.
1. Understand that employees’ needs have changed
Insights from our 2022 State of Shift Work Report uncovered that 50% of employees want their employers to focus more on employee well being (and with the state of the world, who can blame them).
If you’re not sure how your employees are feeling or what they may need to be successful in their roles, you have work to do!
Checking in frequently to get feedback on their sentiment and general engagement levels can help you take action before you encounter regrettable attrition. Make sure you provide your employees with an anonymous way for them to give you feedback and encourage them to speak up about their concerns and wants.
Of course, don't ask for the sake of asking — be sure to take action on key themes you find within the feedback you're getting.
2. Flexibility is essential
It goes without saying that many things that happen in life are not actually planned. No one ever plans to get sick, get in a car accident, or have their power go out. Being able to adapt when these unexpected events happen is critical —not only to your business but also to your future with your employees and the happiness of your customers.
Allowing and encouraging employees to take time off when they are sick or caring for sick family members, or even when they are feeling burnt out, can truly work in your favor. But flexibility isn’t just about time off. Sometimes your employees want to pick up an extra shift here and there and would love to be able to trade shifts with staff that need time off — creating a win-win situation for you and your employees.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate
Communication builds trust, and mutual trust between employers and employees is vital for an organization. If you want your employees to be productive and have your business operate smoothly, you’ll need to ensure everyone is working with the same information.
Having a standard and reliable way of communicating with your staff can make all the difference — ensuring critical messages and announcements are received by everyone. With an accessible newsfeed that can require read receipts, you’ll no longer hear the excuse of “I didn’t see that text, email, or notice on the corkboard,” so everyone will not only be informed but accountable as well.
4. Focus on business outcomes
If it isn’t obvious yet, employees truly do play a huge part in creating a top workplace. But one thing that sets top workplaces apart from the rest are the business outcomes.
Everyone wants to be on a winning team. It's never fun to be behind on expected sales, or show up to work only to be sent home due to overstaffing. Aside from keeping your eye on the prize (whether that be expanding to a new location, or exceeding your goals and targets) one of the easiest ways to keep your employees aligned with outcomes is through task management.
Ensuring that everyone on your team is working toward the desired outcome and knows what they need to do to get there will provide purpose, accountability, and alignment.
If you want to be a top workplace, try adopting some (if not all of these tips). Your employees will thank you for it, and so will their performance.
P.S. Want to hear why Deputy employees think we're a top workplace? Check it out on LinkedIn
