The title of this article is the title of the first chapter of John DiJulius and David Murray’s latest book, The Employee Experience Revolution. As the world emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees realized what made them happy—and unhappy. The result was that many companies experienced The Great Resignation, as employees left their current employers hoping for something better.
Some companies have struggled to replace employees. Many claim there is a shortage of workers. I’ll argue that a shortage of workers isn’t the problem. There is a shortage of workers for that specific company. Why? They haven’t created the employee experience that makes employees want to stay. For example, one of my favorite restaurants has the same employees today as it did pre-pandemic. But the restaurant across the street has struggled to get good people to stay. The reason is simple—and it’s not the food. It’s the management/ownership.
Just as you want your customers to come back, you want your employees to come back. That’s why the employee experience must be in alignment with the customer experience. For years, I’ve preached the Employee Golden Rule, which is to do unto your employees as you want done unto your customers. You can’t treat employees harshly and expect them to go out and be nice to customers. Incongruent behavior can eventually result in a company’s version of The Great Resignation.
I had a chance to interview John DiJulius for an episode of Amazing Business Radio to talk about his new book. I’m so in alignment with his ideas that I thought it was an interview with myself. Below are five of his concepts (in bold), followed by my commentary.
1. There is not a labor shortage. There is a turnover crisis. As mentioned above in the restaurant example, two restaurants on opposite sides of the street have completely different labor experiences. One has kept its core group of employees. The other can’t keep employees. It’s not a labor shortage. As DiJulius points out, “I don’t think there are fewer human beings walking planet Earth than there were five years ago.” It’s all a turnover problem.
2. Because some companies struggle to keep people, they hire almost anyone. When many employees leave, some companies are too quick to hire. Desperation can cause companies to hire too quickly, which means they may get the wrong people. What’s worse, according to DiJulius, is that “Companies look the other way on poor performers and people with bad attitudes because they need to replace so many employees.”
3. Your employees are the average of the five people they work closest to. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn is often credited with saying, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” DiJulius says this is the same in a company, but there’s a difference. In your personal life, you choose your friends. At work, you don’t get a choice. If you put a superstar in the midst of a group of underachievers, you shouldn’t be surprised if your expectations aren’t met.
4. The employee experience starts with the recruitment experience. DiJulius believes that everything should be an experience. That includes your recruiting, hiring and onboarding process. Today we are in an “employees’ market.” Candidates can demand more money and benefits. But what if you created an experience that transcended a paycheck? Yes, we need to pay a fair wage, but if the experience of working at a company is strong enough, employees will factor that into their decision to come and work for you. I summarize this concept by asking, “Do you want an employee working for a paycheck or working for the company?”
5. Build a moat around your rock stars. Just as you work to attract and keep your customers, you should focus similar efforts on hiring the right employees and keeping them. So what are you doing to ensure that after 90 days, your employees think, “This is where I belong”? What experience are you creating that would have them turn down offers from others? DiJulius says, “This is the moat you build around your employees.”
How do we beat the Employee Experience Recession? Cultivate an engaging experience—an appealing and supportive work environment that extends beyond competitive salaries. Foster a culture in which employees feel valued and are an integral part of the organization. Just like you create an experience that gets customers to return, you must prioritize building a workplace where employees are inspired to sign on, come back and not leave.
