How do you rank on the PX scale?

Neroli Jones

In case you’re wondering, it’s the new acronym for HR or Human Resources. Sexier and much more relevant, PX stands for People Experience.

HR has always been a pivotal part of business and has recently become a hot topic as far as “rebranding” is concerned. However aside from the name – somewhat outdated – it is the function of HR that has recently been identified as being in need of a bit of an overhaul.  Surely your people rank higher in merit than being mere “resources”, and as for the human?  As opposed to what?

Companies all over the world are awakening to the fact that a fundamental to human motivation is to convince staff that they are valued and not simply gears in a machine. Effective HR managers today are recognising the human side of the business as being central to business strategy, rather than just seeing it as a cost centre. That is what People Experience is all about.

So why does that matter to you?

Strangely enough, even more so than in large organisations, SMEs need to resource effectively to ensure even cashflow. We often demand much more of our staff than their job descriptions portray especially in times of fast growth or cutting back. Motivated staff enjoy the stimulation of being involved across many areas of the business, and more often than not, they can and will work much harder than their salaries sometimes represent.

Particularly in busy times where there’s an “all-hands-on-deck” situation, your teams will be working above and beyond, leading to the danger of possible burnout, far greater than in larger organisations.  One of the best ways to address this conundrum is to show genuine support for your people and thank them in ways that don’t stress your bottom line.

Happy employees are productive employees

Money continues to be a major motivator of staff but interestingly has lost importance according to recent studies, which revealed that 21 per cent of employees feel undervalued. For SMEs, we need to recognise some of the higher valued items on our staff’s wish list, who can then reward and motivate their people, without breaking the bank.

Here are some top-rated rewards that are bound to boost staff morale:

Flexibility

School friendly hours, additional leave without pay; working from home and so makes people feel understood. It also makes for a loyal, dedicated and happy team – who will be more productive and willing to strive hard in the long run.

Recognition

Celebrate the good things. Take the time to notice achievements and positive results.  We’re often quick to provide negative feedback, but positive feedback can sometimes lag.  It costs nothing to say thank you and congratulate someone, but it goes a long way.

Reward

Extra time off with pay, an unexpected bonus, or even an incentive team treat such as Friday afternoon massages at work. These are all simple, relatively inexpensive ways of saying thank you to hardworking staff and provide something they will remember.

Community

A regular morning tea or lunch, shared exercise session or a joint charity cause.  We’re social and tribal by nature and if you recognise that and work with it your business will benefit.

Connect

As business owners we’re busy.  And it’s very easy to be so in the doing we forget to connect as beings with our people.  We tend to prioritize tasks over relationships.  Most of your team will feel personally invested in the success of the business, so be available and be authentic with them.

Review

At Paradigm Switch, we don’t do performance reviews, we do Harmony Checks.  If you’d like to learn more or need a copy of our template, please get in touch with us, as we’d be happy to share it with you.  It’s a two-way process and it’s highly effective.

Make it your business to know that your business IS your team.

Treat your people as people and you will only prosper.

Neroli Jones, CEO, Paradigm Switch