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For most companies, their set of core values are usually collecting dust in an employee handbook or on a decorated wall plaque in the office. Instead of dull words meant for inspiration, your business’ core values can play a part in the way your employees work with one another, with customers, and interact in the community. They can do more if you let them! So why not bring them to life in the workplace? Learn how these companies do it [so you can too]:
Your typical business card includes basic information: your name, role, and contact information. Instead of just leaving it to those three things, why not put your favorite core value on display too? A client of ours, Canpa, started doing it with their business cards and as a result, their partners, customers, and people in their community started asking about their core values - creating a moment of personal, emotional connection in sharing the WHY behind their favorites. So instead of just knowing Bryan from sales, you get to know what values he upholds and maybe more about his journey with your company.
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Pro tip: add your favorite core value to your email signature!
From the start, The Honest Company has partnered with Baby2Baby to help provide diapers, clothing, and basic necessities to low-income children across the United States. It’s no wonder that one of the company’s values is “Pay it Forward”! It’s awesome to give back in any capacity but even more so when an organization can align it with their products and purpose.
How can you give back that expresses your company values?
This one is an easy one, but a lot of companies put their values to the side when it comes to their business strategy. One organization that aligns values to their products is IKEA. Even if you don’t know their values, you can maybe guess what one of them is. At IKEA, the value of “cost-conscious” has made their brand known all over the world for striking a balance between quality and value. Because of how well they stick to this value, you can presume that IKEA would not be charging customers a luxury price for their modern, yet practice home furnishings.
Related: 10 Steps to Creating Core Values That Your Company Lives By [INFOGRAPHIC]
Going above-and-beyond for customers is what every business owner wants from their client-facing employees, but it all starts with how employees [at every level] treat each other. Why? Because not many people will want to go the extra mile without being on the receiving end of it once in a while [every day is best]! So how can you make living those values an interactive part of your culture? Take a note from National on how they use their WOW cards! Whenever an employee is exemplifying a certain value, another employee can gift them with a WOW card to recognize them. Not only is it meaningful, but it puts values at the center of employee relationships at work.
Pro tip: use additional incentives and recognition tools to spark more values-based engagement, it puts a new definition to “Most Valuable Player”!
Discover the impact of values in National's workplace:
