Let’s start this off with an example:

Your newest employee, Tim, has been working with your company for over several weeks now, and you notice that he is not exactly fitting in. His attitude is a little different from your team, his interaction with customers is not what it is expected, and he doesn’t seem attuned to the values of your company. 

Was this a fault of recruitment, or was Tim overselling himself? That’s not the question that you should be asking yourself. You should be asking: was he trained to represent the values of my company? 

The answer: probably not. 

And this one of the most common mistakes that employers make: they do not train new employees in the values of their company. They see it as just another added expense that is not worth it; that new employees should just “fit” into the company and understand its values. 

Unfortunately, you end up in situations like this where companies have employees that do not reflect their values, and in turn, damages their brand. It is a vicious circle, and it highlights the importance of training your employees to believe in your company’s core values.

Here is why it is beneficial to start implementing value-based training. 

Employees’ Actions Reflect & Display the Values of Your Company 

Publicizing your core values in an effective strategy to raise the profile of your company. Displaying them on your website, through advertising, taglines, logos, and so forth, helps with your brand building. But for clients to believe in your values, they have to experience it firsthand: through your employees.

Training your employees in your company’s values will be reflected in their actions when interacting with customers. It will show customers how your company operates and creates a long-term attachment.

An example would be Starbucks employees, who are trained to “create a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome”. It is why the staff are welcoming, willing to go above and beyond with orders and create a comfortable cafe environment. This “culture of warmth” is essential to what drives people to go to Starbucks – and its entirely reflected through their employees. 

Create an Open-Engaging Working Environment 

Here at GrowME Marketing, one principal value is “Good Vibes Only”. Employees are expected to bring positive attitudes to the office, showing care for fellow employees while being wholehearted and honest. It has created a workplace where everyone is comfortable to be themselves, and most significantly, has seen them contribute to the overall company mission. 

The above point highlights the importance of creating an environment that reflects the values of your company. The environment in your workplace can either motivate your employees or kill off productivity. You have to create a culture that is aligned with your core values, where everyone works together towards the same goal. Without it, you can risk creating a toxic environment that damages your employees’ morale, and in turn, negatively impacts their productivity. 

Motivates Staff to Continuously Perform 

Motivating staff is one of the hardest things to do in management, especially when it comes to raising their performance and productivity levels. But by establishing a set of values in which they have been trained for, and significantly, feel integrated within the workplace culture, it becomes easier for them to improve their productivity.

Employees will have a better understanding of their job role and what is expected of them if they have been trained on those expectations. The implementation of these values will help raise their performance levels, increasing overall productivity, and pushing your business to the next level.

For internet giant Google, one of its core philosophical values is “Great just isn’t good enough” – the idea that “We [Google] set ourselves goals we know we can’t reach yet because we know that by stretching to meet them we can get further than we expected.” From the very beginning, Google employees have the expectation to push themselves to test their limits and use innovative measures to achieve amazing things. It’s why Google is one of the biggest companies in the world; their employees continuously perform. 

Employees Become Committed to Your Business

Let’s face it: employees have different degrees of commitment to a company. That’s because “commitment” itself can mean different things. One worker’s dedication could be their devotion to never missing a day; another’s could be working extra hours on the weekend. It varies for everyone. 

Commitment from employees is imperative to a company – regardless of their level – because of what they bring to the workplace. They are more productive, are passionate about their roles, and promote the vision of the company. 

But how to get employees committed is the trick – and training them in the values of your company is the answer. 

IKEA, for example, empowers its employees from the beginning by embedding them with the value that “togetherness is at the heart of the IKEA culture. We are strong when we trust each other, pull in the same direction and have fun together”. Right from the beginning, the company promotes employees to work together towards the same goal; thereby establishing commitment from everyone. 

By undertaking the same steps of incorporating your company’s core values into training, you will create an environment that staff will want to work, learn and grow within the business – keeping them for the long-term. You will keep the best employees in the workplace and will help your business grow in the process.