Often, the value that companies try to offer their employees remains settled in the perks or the obvious components of their jobs. It’s true that we don’t put in 10 volunteer hours a day so pay, benefits, bonus potential and paid vacations are important, but this should not be how the value of your employer should be measured.
A conscious employer, simply said, can change employee’s lives. They can change their lives by creating an atmosphere of learning and inspiration for all their employees to become the very best version of themselves. They may not be able to control the atmosphere of their employee’s personal lives, but they absolutely can control the atmosphere in the work environment…and so often those two worlds are linked much closer than some care to admit.
The work environment should be an ever evolving institution of learning. When you think of traditional learning you think of memorization and regurgitation. You cram for the test in order to get the grade. In the work environment, the learning is a natural, quiet, often un-realized occurrence. It’s learning through real life situations. It’s learning through failing. It’s learning by interacting with others. It’s learning by asking questions and listening. It’s learning in the heart & the mind…not just the mind.
So, as you analyze what your company does for you, don’t get trapped in the obvious. Sure, there is another job out there that can offer more money, has a more robust 401K plan, and may have a fancier office or a promise for growth and advancement. Picking those companies will satisfy you with money, comfort, and “things” for the short term. The other version is a company that cares about you. It challenges you daily to exceed what you thought you could do. It instructs you when you fail and praises you when you succeed. It doesn’t allow you to sit in the status quo, and it allows you to grow without you even realizing it.
Picking that company satisfies you by being proud of what you see when you look in the mirror. It allows you to carry yourself with a bit more confidence, to enjoy the important things in life and challenge yourself to be the best version of you. Let’s go back to my previous statement where an employer may not be able to control the environment of an employee’s personal life. Now looking at the definition above, I think they absolutely can.
So what value can a company bring to an employee? To help make them become the very best that they can be! Doubt you saw that in the handbook!