Demystifying HR for Small Business Owners
As a small business owner, I know how much you think about your customers. From how you’re going to attract them, to keeping them happy and content. After all, without customers you wouldn’t have much of a business, am I right?
Much of this truth can also be found in the relationships we create with our employees. And as our desire to scale and expand the business approaches, much of our success will hinge on happy and engaged employees. After all, it’s these individuals who will help create the environment for happy and loyal customers! See where I’m going with this? 🙂 It’s all cyclical, and we’re all interconnected.
I challenge you to shift your perspective, and consider the employee experience much like you would that of your customer experience. For frame of reference, let’s look at the factors we consider in creating and maintaining happy customers.
Understand your customers.
What are their needs, preferences and pain points?
What keeps them coming back for more?
Who are your customers? What’s their demographic and what’s important to them?
Personalize your interactions.
How can you give them a unique experience?
Tailor your touch points based on the information you have about them and your past interactions.
Think about ways to show them they’re more than just a number.
Streamline your processes.
How do you create a customer experience that is effortless and streamlined?
Is your online presence optimized (website, mobile apps and store fronts) to ensure a hassle-free experience?
Make payment easy.
Empower your support team.
Is your support team trained and ready to be the face of your brand?
Are you empowering your team to go above and beyond, allowing them to create magical moments for customers?
Are you recognizing them when things go right?
Now, you might already see where I’m going with this, but much like our customers, our employees are expecting an experience when they join your company. So, let’s look at these same categories again, but through the lens of an employee experience.
Understand your employees.
What are they expecting of you as their employer (i.e. - benefits, community, culture, perks, etc.)?
What can you do to retain your high performers?
What kind of professionals are you hoping to attract?
Personalize your interactions.
How can you give them a unique employer experience?
Tailor your company communications by focusing on what is important to them.
Think about ways to show them they’re more than just a number.
Streamline your processes.
How do you create an employee experience that is effortless and streamlined?
What is your employer brand saying to the world and potential employees?
When hiring, make sure your application process is easy.
Empower your support team.
Is your team trained and ready to be the face of your brand?
Are you empowering your team to go above and beyond, allowing them to create magical moments for customers?
Are they operating in a way that’s uplifting your company culture and values?
As you can see, the customer and employee experience has many parallels. While they each interact with you differently, both make or break your business. So when you’re in doubt and wondering if you're focusing on the “right things” for your employees, stop and ask yourself, “if they were my customer, how would I approach this [challenge/situation/meeting]”, and see what kind of direction this mindset shift can take you.
And remember, your employee experience will evolve as your business does, so not everything needs to be in place from the very beginning. Here’s a milestone guide for when you’re not sure what you need, depending on your current employee count.
As always, reach out to ExpeditionHR to assist you in creating a fun and memorable employee experience for your team!
- Amanda
