An Employer’s Guide to Success: Employees First, Customers Second

One of the biggest concerns for every employer is deciding who gets higher priority – the employee or the customer. Some employers believe that if the employees are given higher priority, business will be lost as less attention will be given to customers. Others believe if customers are given higher priority, employees will feel neglected and quit, ultimately leading to the company failing.
Although this may appear to be a lose-lose situation, there is a right choice – the employees. The customer will not have a company to consult with if the company’s employees are unsatisfied. Brains on Fire, a corporate identity company, put it well: “Happy employees make happy customers.” The way the employer treats his employees greatly influences how his employees treat clients and customers.
The most successful corporations today are aware of this. When comparing the list of best companies to work for with the list of most successful companies, one will find that at the top of both lists are the same names. For instance, Google, the leading technological giant globally for the past decade, is known for its employee satisfaction. Google provides its employees with free meals, a swimming spa, and free onsite doctors, ranked #1 in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2007. This year Fortune’s #1 company to work for is SAS. SAS, a leader in business analytics software and services, provides their employees with on-site healthcare, a children’s summer camp, an affordable childcare, auto services, a beauty salon, a 66,000 square foot gym, and more. These benefits SAS and Google provide not only keep their employees happy and the company prospering, but forces their competitors to raise their standards; if they do not, they will lose their employees to companies like SAS and Google that will. Companies in other industries hold their employees in high regard as well. Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods and ranked #24 on Fortune 100’s Best Companies to Work For list, provides employees with a 20% discount on all of the store’s products. In the financial industry, corporations like Goldman Sachs and Johnson Financial Group go out of their way to ensure their workers are well taken care of. Goldman not only pays their employees generously, but provides them with a 54,000 square foot gym, a reading room, and a sky lobby. Johnson provides new fathers with six weeks of paternity leave, as well as reimburses employees up to $10,000 a year for graduate school. In the hospitality industry, the Four Seasons is on top; they are the world’s leader in luxury hotels and resorts, paying its hourly employees well, and allowing them to stay for free at any of their locations worldwide. Finally, the automobile industry is led by Mercedes-Benz USA, who is known for their luxury and prestige in automobiles; they offer their employees a flexible schedule, an excellent telecommuting policy, and a gym with two personal trainers.
Thus, it is evident that a correlation can be made between the success of a company and the satisfaction of their employees. If employees are not cared for, the company is setting itself up for a loss. So, as an employer, when faced with the decision of delegating priority to one’s employees or to one’s customers, be sure to choose one’s employees as employee satisfaction is the foundation to any flourishing business.