What is a people-first culture and why is it important?
As a leader in your organization, do you give employees access to you?
Why is that important?
Not only can they learn about you but also, you can learn about them.
In the book, Lunch with Lucy: Maximize Profits by Investing in Your People, author, founder, and former CEO of patient billing firm, Letter Logic, Sherry Deutschmann, shares her brilliant strategy of caring for and engaging with her employees, each and every one of them.
Sherry had lunch with every single employee, one per week until she had met every single employee. She asked questions and listened. Questions about their dreams, their aspirations, and their challenges. She also asked about what she could do better.
When possible, she helped them overcome challenges.
One wonderful example is the case of a young hockey player who had lost his two front teeth. He was so embarrassed that he never smiled. His manager came to Sherry to ask if the company could help, and ten minutes later the manager had a check for the new teeth.
Another is the case of a recently-immigrated family who spoke no English & needed work. Sherry not only hired both the husband and wife for the janitorial team, but also provided a gently used car (with insurance). Then she recruited rest of the staff to a celebration to present the car. Unbeknownst to Sherry, the employees waxed the car, wrapped it with a bow and filled the trunk with gifts of household items.
This exemplifies Letter Logic’s family culture.
Here are some other ways Sherry showed employees that she really cared about them.
- Equal profit-sharing for all
- Equal opportunities for all
- Paying fair living wages for all
This demonstrates the epitome of a people-first culture.
This was her company values statement.
We are a family of unique individuals who care deeply about each other and our clients. We are successful because we are empowered, and we use our power to make Letter Logic better. We make a difference because:
- We care
- We take responsibility
- We embrace change
- We make work fun
The result of valuing employees as people first?
?? Commitment
?? High Morale
?? Loyalty
?? Engagement
?? Retention
?? Healthy bottom line
This story clearly illustrates how a people-first culture can not only motivate and inspire employees to be their best, but also generate healthy revenues, which reached $40 million by the time she sold the company.
Sherry’s driving theme: “treat your employees like you treat your family (or your favorite cousin), with dignity, respect, honesty, admitting mistakes and correcting errors, yours and theirs.”
And, as she explained to her customers, “our practice of taking great are of our employees created a team of happy people working together to take great care of the customers.”
Happy employees create happy customers. And therefore, happy employees create a healthy company.
#BanishOrganizationalBurnout #PeopleFirstCulture #HappyEmployees #Engagement #Retention