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PEOPLE FLOW |
Inspired employees are the best ambassadors any
organization can have. Studies confirm that when people
really love their jobs, customers get better service.
TEXT
SILJA KUDEL
PHOTOS
KONE AND SUSA JUNNOLA
W
hen a KONE tech-
nician arrives to
service an elevator
or escalator, ex-
pect to be greet-
ed by someone
smiling and eager to serve. On-the-job
training, career and growth opportuni-
ties, and daily feedback from supervisors
have all helped to create a strong culture
of engagement at KONE, keeping mo-
rale high and staff turnover low.
Committed to becoming an inspiring
and energizing place to work, KONE
chose employee engagement as one
of its three-year strategic development
programs last year.
“This principle is not something
buried away in our HR policy. It’s right
at the top of our strategy where our
employees can see that they do matter to
us,” affirms
Kerttu Tuomas
, Executive
Vice President of KONE Human Resources.
OWNING IS CARING
But can the customer spot the difference
between an engaged employee and a
disengaged one?
“Picture yourself in a restaurant. We
all know what it feels like to be served a
meal by a waiter who is dissatisfied with
his job,” illustrates Tuomas.
The attitude of employees is intrinsi-
cally linked to the standard of service
they provide. When motivated and em-
powered, they will deliver consistently
high performance levels and go above
and beyond the call of duty. The KONE
technician who services an elevator will
not only complete the job with a can-do
attitude, but he will go the extra mile.
He will listen to customer needs, sug-
gest improvements, and do his utmost
to maximize satisfaction.
“Engaged employees take personal
pride in their company and its products.
They take ownership of their work, so
they truly care. And customers are the
ones who benefit,” explains Tuomas.
“Numerous studies have verified a
strong correlation between employee
engagement and customer satisfaction. If
you neglect to engage your workforce, it
has a direct impact on customer loyalty.”
Not to mention your bottom line.
The costs incurred through lost produc-
tivity and training of new recruits are
generally estimated to be around the
annual salary per departing employee.
TWO-WAY STREET
But what gets people excited to go
to work in the morning? Big bonuses?
Likable colleagues? The office gym?
“A complex combination of vari-
ables,” says Tuomas. A sufficient salary
helps, but incentives won’t make
people genuinely passionate about
their work.