3 Key Changes that Can Encourage Employee Loyalty, by Haris Ahmed of Chicago

For Haris Ahmed, Chicago change expert and leadership consultant, being open to change is one of the best ways to encourage employee loyalty. In a nutshell, an organization that operates in the same manner it did when it was still a fledgling company fails to seize the opportunities that change can present for the company and its employees. Haris Ahmed of Chicago believes that change is a critical factor to the success of any endeavor. When you’ve become set in your ways and live within the confines of your comfort zone, there is no room for growth. And growth is the one thing that can prevent your employees from jumping ship.

But here’s the caveat; there are no one-size-fits-all approaches to change. What may work for one organization may not necessarily work on yours, and vice-versa. There are, however, three key areas that you can keep an eye on to recognize the changes that should be done and how to approach each one. Haris Ahmed of Chicago shares these three key areas below:

Innovations for internal operations

In this day and age of technological advancements, internal processes have become easier to accomplish; thanks to programs, applications, digital innovations, and other modern solutions. Failure to adopt these changes slows down the entire organization, and ultimately heavily impacts your external operations—timely delivery of your goods or services to your customers. Why subject your employees to laborious and tedious processes when there are innovations that you can adopt? These innovations not only streamline processes and make work easier for your employees; more importantly, they can enhance the efficiency of the entire organization. With efficient internal operations, you can serve your customers better, says Haris Ahmed of Chicago.

Employee growth and development

To put it simply, when your employees know that you are invested in their growth and development, they won’t think twice about being loyal to the company because they know that there are opportunities to advance within the organization. Regular training can be one of the ways you can encourage your employees’ growth and development. Understandably, Haris Ahmed of Chicago says, you might be a little hesitant about regular training because employees will need to take time off work to participate. But that’s all in the past. A lot of organizations have shifted their training to virtual platforms, which means that your employees don’t have to leave the office to attend. More importantly, they can learn at their own pace. Haris Ahmed of Chicago strongly suggests that you consider virtual training, and consider it as the better alternative to traditional, classroom-based training.

Change in leadership, or leadership styles

If your employees are underperforming, one of the factors that could be causing this is your leadership style. In this case, Haris Ahmed of Chicago says, don’t be averse to changing your style. Understand that this isn’t a personal attack; it’s merely an objective input aimed at improving employee and organizational performance.

In situations where underperformance is attributed to the leader or manager to whom the employees directly report to, consider taking steps to address the situation. You can talk to the leader about issues raised by their subordinates, and discuss measures that can be taken. When a change in leadership becomes the only apparent solution, step in and take action.