Longtime reader Justus submitted this question in response to our post calling for your burning questions about marketing, business development and communications. Here goes:
How do you make your organization a desirable entity that people want to join as fellow employees, especially in a tight labor market?
Bonus question: how does one help the cause when they aren't in a leadership position?
I think that's a very good question that is also very challenging, as it can be answered in so many different ways.
There is increasing evidence that a place of work that treats its employees well, compensates them fairly and makes space for them to do meaningful work leads to an increase in productivity, job satisfaction, employee retention and ultimately, increased profitability.
Whole Foods, Gravity Payments, Zappos and Roma Mouldings (see our podcast interview with its CEO) among a myriad of others exemplify that. They've all implemented a variation of an employee-first workplace and have seen great success in doing so, with measurable results in areas like increased revenue and profit, job satisfaction, employee retention, employee home purchase and even an increase in babies born.
The common thread among all those companies is that they put a heavy emphasis on their purpose (what Simon Sinek call the "Why") which enables them to attract client and employees alike with whom that purpose resonates.
Regarding the bonus question, I think that an employee aligned with its employer's purpose will naturally help the cause, because everyone is working in concert toward the same goal. The results will naturally come and employees who stick around should eventually move into leadership positions where they'll have an opportunity to make a difference.
There are many books on the subject, but here my list of favourites that I highly recommend:
Conscious Capitalism by John Mackey
Maverick by Ricardo Semler
Delivering Happiness by the late Tony Hsieh
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Turn The Ship Around by David Marquet
Hopefully one of these will help you start a workplace transformation of your own.
Thanks for the question Justus!