A clear company mission can provide employees with the direction they need to help the business flourish. If employees are not aligned with the company’s mission and values, the lack of direction may leave employees feeling disengaged from their responsibilities and fall short of reaching organizational goals. To prevent this, keeping employees committed to the company’s mission by sustaining a vision-oriented business guided by strong company values is essential.
Below are three tips to ensure employees see the value in their work and remain connected with a clear company mission:
1. Make it Your Business’s Purpose to Serve Humanity
For whom does your business operate? Many businesses run for the primary purpose of generating income and maximizing returns for their shareholders. Companies existing primarily for such purpose often operate with the mission of making as much profit as possible.
If you position the purpose of your business from a different perspective, your employees can create a more personal connection to pushing the company’s mission forward. Simply put, businesses should primarily exist to serve people through a product or service. By making your company’s mission to serve humanity, your employees become part of a fundamental goal and will, in return, experience a re-invigorated sense of purpose and motivation.
A business in the service of helping humanity through its products or services is more likely to employ people who will be enthusiastic to serve the same purpose. This not only creates strong, shared values, it leads to better societal outcomes, thereby helping the business prosper and get ahead of its competition.
To build a strong value out of this purpose, business leaders should always go back to a humanitarian mission. For instance, our company makes it a priority to give back through the Draw a Smile Foundation by pledging 2.5% of net profits from sales and another 2.5% of net profits to the Mississippi Coding Academies, a passion project for my co-founder, Rich Sun, helping at-risk kids build technology careers.
We also work with, Glen Copack, a company that provides job training and employment opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as our manufacturer. As a result, our customers are indirectly supporting these causes as well.
2. Value Your Employees
Employees are people and should not be treated merely as human capital. Unfortunately, some businesses treat their employees as a cost to the company and expect them to work like machines to generate more profit for the business. Employees who are treated as mere cogs in a large machine and not as valuable members of the organization often lack a commitment to achieving long term business goals.
Companies must show genuine concern for their staff by looking after their individual well-being. Businesses adopting a people-oriented approach know employees play a vital role in creating value for the business.
Employers can help employees become more enthusiastic about their roles by:
- Respecting each employee’s individuality: People have varying sets of skills that make them unique. With employee goal setting, there is no one-size-fits-all kind of approach. Creating customized performance goals based on each individual’s skills can help them achieve more.
- Offering educational opportunities: Leaders who provide employees with opportunities to learn and build additional skills show that the company is invested in their future. Educational opportunities also give employees a chance to maximize their performance and contribution to the growth of the company.
- Looking after their well-being: Organizations must genuinely care for their employees and ensure they are well-provided for in all aspects. Aside from providing proper compensation and benefits, supporting employees’ social and personal wellbeing by allowing them to take the necessary breaks they need, as well as promoting health and wellness in the company, will make them become more productive.
- Recognize hard work and achievement: Acknowledging employees’ hard work and accomplishments can have a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of the organization. Simple recognition and rewards can help boost people’s enthusiasm towards their work and make them more committed to the business.
3. Boost Company Morale in Uncertain Times
The feelings of anxiety and uncertainty continue to threaten both employers and employees as the Coronavirus pandemic spreads globally. The concern for the health of our loved ones and the economic instability caused by this crisis creates great stress and worry.
If your company is one of the lucky few still operating amidst the crisis, you can help keep your employees’ mindsets positive by finding creative ways to boost company morale such as:
- Providing clear direction and constant communication: Offer guidance and support to your employees, and make sure to involve them in discussions as much as possible. Take control and provide constant communication because people need information and reassurance.
- Being more flexible: From practicing social distancing to adjusting to indefinite remote workforces, demonstrate that flexibility is important. You should also show a level of trust that your people are doing their jobs well even if they are working from home.
- Providing wellness resources: Look after your employees’ mental wellness during this pandemic by providing them with proper COVID-19 resources. Help your employees avoid the feeling of isolation by hosting virtual team bonding, arranging fitness and meditation sessions, and celebrating employee milestones even through online meetings.
Your company’s mission is an essential aspect of your business, providing employees with a higher sense of purpose and connection to their work. It helps establish the brand of your business and build strong values. Employees committed to the company’s mission will not only aspire to reach the same goals, they will also accomplish a level of personal fulfillment by achieving them.
