There has been a buzz recently around building ‘customer-obsessed’ companies. In the emerging Customer Engagement Economy, businesses are seeing the advantages of increased knowledge collection and engagement with their current and prospective clientele. However, before businesses can improve their customer engagement, they must first enable their employees to own each customer ‘moment,’ creating positive and consistent experiences. I believe the foundation for customer obsession is laid by employee obsession. In particular, businesses must consider how they are tailoring their workplace to the incoming generation.

As a recent college graduate I decided to take a year to travel and work abroad. My plan was simple: explore, be struck by insightful inspiration and self-discovery. In this, I hoped to ascertain a clear vision of my ideal future career. That didn’t quite happen. Instead, I returned driven to work hard for positive change, eyes open to the countless directions available to pursue this goal, but unsure as to how to get there. 

I represented the next generation workforce that is searching for the perfect job. We value life quality over compensation, reject outdated processes, and expect flexibility to allow for our autonomous growth. We have no problem job jumping, looking for socially responsible companies with fun cultures. From this broad vision of job attributes, we can struggle to find an organization that understands and aligns with our core values. As my generation bounces around looking to have these increasing expectations met, businesses are seeing fierce competition to gain applicant attention and maintain new hire loyalty. Successful companies are rising to meet these new demands and igniting growth by embracing the associated changes of a new generation.

So how do you attract this new workforce? You build an employee-obsessed work experience based on a strong culture that promotes the development of self-sustaining growth. As industries and cultures differ, every company will have to define this for themselves. However, in building an employee-focused work environment that caters to the incoming workforce, there are important values that must be embedded in a company’s culture. To attract and retain the top talent, you should consider the following:

1. Provide opportunities for a wide range of learning experiences - exposure to multiple facets of the company helps individuals discover their strengths and interests 
2. Create a fun and collaborative culture - the isolated cubicle is dead, it’s time to evolve. From seating arrangements to the organizational structure, employee experience is essential 
3. Mark a clear path for growth within the company - coming from the structured world of college, applicants embrace the transition to the work world when provided a roadmap for their development 
4. Mentor and support - balance support with autonomy to allow for customized growth of each individual and create a network of teams

There is a level of trust on either side when offering and taking a job. It is important to know what your company values and hires to match. Misalignment of values will quickly destroy the trust an employee has placed in their company. 

Personally, I’m thankful to have found a company who respects my opinion, supports my personal and professional growth, and has amazing people. Bluewolf fosters an extremely tight culture within the company, a team who has passion for what we do, and the onus to constantly improve our business. I am confident that I made the right decision for my personal and career growth.  

Next week I will look at Bluewolf’s professional development program, the Agile Business Executive program, and examine how we have designed a career path that has attracted top talent from around the world.