Over the years more than one business has touted their scalability while having very high employee turnover. I have never seen a company truly scale without a rock solid employee base. An article I read recently stated a solid employee base is one of the top five “must haves” to scale. This should be obvious as it is your employee base you are scaling off of. It does not matter if you are scaling based on new product or service lines, geography or a new customer base.
The strategies which create your employee base also creates scalability
I know of a company located in OKC which is a perfect example of the right way to do it. I have heard the owner speak more than once. I also have spoken with numerous current and ex-employees of this company. The employees all say wonderful things about their experience. I have spoken to more than one who no longer works there. One ex-employee was working through a personal issue which made it impossible to work there. Once the scheduling issue resolved, he planned on going back as soon as he could. Many of the employees told me they had worked elsewhere until they could build their resume to get hired on at this company.
All of the employees had different reasons why they liked the employer so much. The overall message from the employee comments was – they felt valued. They felt valued numerous different ways with the vast majority being something other than compensation.
This company has expanded with numerous ventures with different products, services and processes. The employee base would be slightly different for each of the new areas. However, the core values are the same. Employees move between the different divisions; but, can always expect to be treated with the same set of values. The company explains the subtle differences in policies and procedures. The employees always understood why the differences were necessary. The employees can also see how the base values are the same.
It is the base values which creates the scalability
I have no doubt this company will continue to grow and succeed. The main reason for this is the core values are now hard wired into the company. I do not see the core values changing even while some of the specific policies and procedures change with each new venture.
It is these strategies and values which create or destroy your employee base.
Which direction are you going?
