It staggers me to see how many particularly older employers tend to have a narrow view of the value of employees – an attitude which is generally restricted to employees being a “necessary evil” (i.e. necessary cost) of running a business. The penny still hasn’t really dropped with these employers that the people who they employ are in fact the most valuable resource that they have – beyond the value of stock and other physical assets.
Unfortunately for employers with this mindset, if they continue to hold employees in such little regard, they’re likely to experience continuing high employee turn-over. No-one wants to work with people who are unable to assign value to others beyond the measurement of “financial cost” .
Rather, in this day and age, employees are interested in working “with” employers to achieve common objectives – not “under” or “for” employers. There’s a big difference in these perspectives. The holistic value that you show/ communicate to employees will be returned in spades in the form of heightened productivity, willingness to contribute ideas, positive attitude…and more.
My advice to employers is see and nurture the “people qualities” in employees far more so than simply view employees as a necessary cost of operating a business. Your relationships with employees will blossom as a result; and the culture that develops will become the primary driver of productivity/ organisation goals being achieved.