Why Zappos thinks employee happiness 'shouldn't be about the dollar'
Through a special arrangement, what follows is an excerpt of an article from Retail Dive, an e-newsletter and website providing a 60-second bird's eye view of the latest retail news and trends.
While it's easy to think of raising wages as a blanket solution to solving workforce motivation and retention problems, employee engagement may be the best strategy to foster productive and happy workforces, says Christa Foley, head of corporate culture consultancy Zappos Insights.
"While I applaud those employers for bumping people above minimum wage ... it shouldn't be about the dollar," said Ms. Foley in an interview with Retail Dive.
Zappos Insights helps other companies create the same level of culture and employee engagement found in Zappos.
"[Zappos Insights'] goal is to not make clones of Zappos," Ms. Foley said. "What we want to impress upon these companies is that you can be a successful business and pay attention to your people, and pay attention to culture."
Photo: Zappos Insights
Engaging the employee from the first day on the job is key, according to Ms. Foley. All new full-time employees at Zappos go through four weeks of onboarding. Half of the time is devoted to learning the company's core values and what they look like while on the job. The other half is spent in the department that put Zappos on the map — its call center.
Once on-boarded, businesses should give associates the freedom to utilize their talents to get the job done.
"Don't just throw people out on the floor and hope they get it right. Make sure you give some thought on how they are trained, then treat them like adults," said Ms. Foley, Zappos' former HR head.
Zappos also has a team dedicated to employee engagement. Its mission is to "provide fun and engaging opportunities for employees that speak to their individual passions." The team builds programs that foster recognition and mentorship in the company, as well as team-building activities.
"If you [encourage employees to bring their full selves to work], you don't have work-life balance — you just have life," Ms. Foley said. "People don't feel like they're cutting off a piece of themselves at the workforce. They'll feel happier and engaged, they'll feel appreciated because they won't feel siloed into a certain box that they have to be in at work."
While Zappos compensates their employees for a job well done, "if your priority and focus is money, that's probably not going to fall in line with our core culture."