The end of a year brings with it, reflection and future planning. For us at Hero? We dedicated a big part of our time to reflect back at 2018 and plan for 2019. In fact, starting off the year with a road show to communicate our plans for 2019 to all our employees, was high on our agenda.
2018 was a great year, particularly for working hard together as one. We also spoke about the great turnaround we had in 2018 and gave our employees insight into what 2019 will look like in terms of Financials, Tech Development, Commercial, Marketing, Operational and People. Regardless of whether the results are good or bad, having a strategy in place and communicating it to everyone aboard, is a great practice.
As my colleagues stood up to present their plans, I couldn’t help but look at everyone’s expression and body language and wished I could have an app which would tell me exactly what people were thinking at that very point in time.
It was finally my turn to present the people’s strategy for 2019. I could see people energised by the plans that we’re all going to be working towards, but a natural thought that was surely going through their head as I spoke was – What’s in it for ME?
An Employee Value Proposition strategy should not necessarily be based on salary and benefits, and whilst paying people fairly is the foundation of being a good employer, pay is certainly not a means to an end. I personally feel bad for people who say they go to work for the money. My take on that is…
”Time is precious! Find where your passion lies, choose a job and a company which enable you to enjoy what you do.
So, what do people really care about?
- People want to understand the bigger purpose and how they can add value to it
- They want a good manager, who they can learn from and be guided by
- They want their managers to do something about those people who don’t pull their weight
- The opportunity to grow and develop, not necessarily through a promotion but from a knowledge growth perspective
- They want to be given the opportunity to prove themselves and master what they do through autonomy and feedback
- They want to know that their voice can be heard and and that they are trusted
- People also want to be given the opportunity to enjoy what they do and have fun at work, regardless of their role
- And praise for good work that they do, not only from their managers but also from their colleagues
I highlight some very important elements of what people really care about and the list can go on.
These practices don’t come for free. They will come at a cost because you need to invest in your culture, you need to invest in your managers, in your people’s development, and you need to invest in getting the right people on board. And if you don’t, you will most certainly have a harder time achieving ambitious goals. The cost of not investing in talent, will hit the bottom line harder than if you don’t.
Written by our Chief People Officer – Marie Louise Theobald
