Guide to the Employees First Customers Second Theory

Let’s break down some of the goals that businesses of all sizes, types, and sectors share in common. 

• Grow Brand Awareness
• Expand to New Markets
• Increase Website Traffic
• Expand Market Share
• Get More Customers
• Boost Sales
• Increase Return on Investment

Now, the million-dollar question is, who helps acquire all of the aforementioned goals?

Your Resources, and employees are the most valuable resources who work tirelessly, input all within and beyond their capacity to drive more sales and increase profit, and achieve all of the other targeted goals. 

The performance of your company is directly related to the performance of your employees and their performance is dependent on multiple things that most employers do not even bother to know about. 

If you are a business or an employer, it is high time, you address all that your employees seek as they determine your business’s growth and success. Employers must shift from tentatively accepting to fully embracing employees’ concerns and needs. 

Ever heard of the Employees First, Customers Second Theory? 

Vineet Nayar, the leader of Indian IT and consulting company- HCL Technologies published a book titled, Employees First Customers Second. The company was founded in 1976 and currently has 140, 000 employees and operates around the world. In his book, he discusses how he transformed his company and put things upside down by increasing trust through transparency. 

He mentions how each individual’s performance, including his and other higher authorities, was evaluated through feedback and put on an internal forum for everyone to see. Moreover, they allowed everyone to see their financial data, which bolstered a feeling of motivation and understanding of their performance and contribution.

As a result of all these steps of transformation, in a span of four years, the employees’ satisfaction increased by 70% and the number of customers increased five times, and the revenue increased exponentially. 

 In his various public speakings, Mr. Nayar is seen emphasizing that employers do not do much for their employees, and that transformation is necessary to motivate employees to work towards the achievement of your company’s goals. 

Now, it is important to understand the ways you can implement the “Employees First, Customer Second Policy.”

Here are the things you can implement at your workplace:

1. Grow Your Employees

No employer can better reward his employers than by helping them grow personally and professionally. Provide your employees with opportunities where they can co-learn and compete in a positive way.

Creating an amiable environment where no one is pressurized and put under a tense situation is a prerequisite for growth as the employees can work with an open mind. Also, give them a flexible environment where they can learn new things and brush up on skills besides meeting deadlines. 

Also Read: How To Keep Your Business Running Smoothly?

2. Provide them with all the necessary Facilities

Employers who expect their employees to perform with little or no resources live in delusion. It is fundamental to provide employees with all the essential tools and facilities they need to do their work efficiently and optimally.

This can range from their morning coffee, and job-specific tools, to speedy internet. Since all businesses need the internet for communication and running daily operations, it has to be fast enough to bear the load yet let you work without interruption.

Businesses must pay attention to getting a reliable and fast internet connection that offers unlimited data, such as CenturyLink internet. It is the most reliable name across the board that guarantees the fastest internet and CenturyLink customer service is always there to crack the problem. 

3. Make them Aware of the Financial Performance

Your employees need to the financial performance of the company to understand how their efforts are driving meaningful results and how they relate to other patterns of the business.

4. Reward Your Employees Fairly

Sharing the business growth is not enough, you should be paying them as well. Attain equity by conducting a transparent and fair evaluation process and rewarding on that basis. For employees, how much you pay them is how much appreciate them. 

5. Recognize their work

For employees, not everything revolves around money. Appreciate them verbally in private and in front of everyone to boost their confidence and make them feel that you appreciate their efforts. Always, always provide feedback and motivate them to work on things they might be lagging in. 

Also Read: How To Improve Your Company’s Image?

Final Thoughts

Employees are the main pillar of a business. With their consistent efforts and devotion, an organization runs even without the presence of the owner.

However, if employers adopt a rigid behavior towards employees, subjugating them and demeaning them, and lambasting them to achieve targets, then they will never be successful in performing their duties.

But if employees are appreciated and provided an environment where they feel optimistic and motivated to work, then not only they will meet targets but help an organization flourish in the long run.