The Focus is on People: Employees are the Most Important Thing
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Modern companies are focusing more and more on employees as their most important resource. Rightly so: What would a company be without the many people in the background who work every day so that they all advance together? That is why one thing is at the heart of everything we do - our employees.
In the past, work was mainly about getting a job that was as secure as possible and an acceptable salary. Nowadays, a job is much more than a job: Millennials and Gen Z place great importance on fairness, flexibility, personal fulfilment, and enjoyment at work. An individual’s own work should not only be worthwhile but should also be enjoyable and meaningful. Employers must offer employee-oriented solutions and strong corporate values to be successful in the long term.
Why Employees are Companies’ Most Important Resource
No matter how good the management, the product, or the concept of a company area - no business model can work without a good and committed team. Increasing numbers of employers have recognised the great importance of their own employees. To be able to retain qualified staff, companies are increasingly relying on good HR management, staff bonuses, further training, and work-life balance.
Surveys show that it is not only financial incentives that ensure employees’ loyalty. The emotional connection to a company is much more important - for example, thanks to good relations among staff, a pleasant working atmosphere, appreciation of one’s own work and team-strengthening events. Emotionally connected employees are also happier and more productive: a win-win situation.
The number one goal of all cost-efficient company’s is generating turnover. The problem is: this goal cannot be achieved without a qualified employee base. Employees are more than a cost factor - they are the capital that keeps the whole cycle going. The list of priorities of every manager should start with the well-being of his or her own staff.
In the age of the internet and social media, word of an attractive working environment soon gets around. Personal recommendations and good employer evaluations now occupy the top places among the job choice criteria of young people. A good personnel system also pays in the long term - namely, when you need to recruit new, promising talent in order to refresh and enrich the employee base.
Fostering Employees, Not Stressing Them
Employers who foster and appreciate his or her employees will be rewarded in the long term. This involves a lot more than a pay cheque and sporadic appraisals. Young people in particular appreciate more emotional values and want to be respected for their work and feel at home in the team.
Personal fulfilment is also one of the most important factors when choosing an employer. Personal development, getting ahead and achieving goals - that is what can make the difference between a having mere “job” and working passionately.
Positive Atmosphere Aids Health, Happiness and Productivity
A good working atmosphere, characterised by appreciation and respect, has been proven to have an effect on employees’ productivity and commitment.
Enjoying a job is not only more fulfilling and healthier; a person who approaches matters with more motivation and enjoyment works more accurately and efficiently and makes a greater contribution to the company's goals.
If a working environment is characterised by stress, panic and pressure, a negative mood quickly develops, resulting in increased employee fluctuation. An open communication culture, trust in the workplace, joint activities, regular feedback and dealing with each other more kindly and with more respect are important.
Work-Life-Balance is Everything
Finding a Work-life balance is fashionable: in recent studies, more than two thirds of those questioned, cited the work-life balance as an important or very important criterion when choosing a workplace. The term describes the balance between work, leisure, family, and friends. Flexible working times, encouraging team cohesion and open communication are just a few of the factors that can ensure creating a healthy balance between work and personal life.
But what a healthy balance looks like in practice is highly individual. For one person, a good work-life balance may entail blurring the boundaries between work and leisure, someone else may want to keep the two strictly separate and be able to dedicate enough time and energy to each of these areas of life. What is right is what feels right to you.
Every Employee Counts
We know how important every single employee who works at OVB is. It is only thanks to the people in our regional headquarters, our holding company and the many financial advisors working across Europe that we are where we are today and are able to look back on a successful history of more than 50 years.
We want our employees to be happy. That is why we support them with a flexible working hours models, numerous employee benefits, further training, and staff events. Our employees’ opinions are important to us: that is why we take all feedback seriously and constantly work on improving and r developing further as an employer.
Together Through Difficult Times
How well the relationship between employers and employees is working can be seen best in difficult times. The coronavirus crisis showed us that we can rely on our teams at all times. We continue to be thrilled by the commitment and team spirit of our employees and can look back on a successful period.
It not only resulted in many new concepts of digital cooperation and working processes, we also increased the number of our employees and financial advisors. We are therefore looking ahead with renewed strength and are delighted with all the people who give their best every day on behalf of OVB.
