You’ve know employees can cost your company a significant amount—much more than most companies want to think about paying.  But what do you stand to gain when you put in the time and effort to truly engage your employees and establish a positive culture throughout your business?

The connection your employees have with your customers is a valuable tool for growing your brand.  The more employees are able to connect with your customers on an emotional level, the more they will be able to foster connections that will solidify your business partnerships.  A SocialChorus study shows one engaged employee can reach an audience ten times larger than what your brand alone is reaching—a transformative number when it comes to extending your reach and sharing your brand in a marketplace that’s currently undergoing many changes and disruptions.

That is the power of one.  When you take the time and effort to create engaged employee advocates who are excited to share your brand with their online social networks, you will be increasing your visibility tenfold.  And in today’s competitive market, that’s a big deal.

Most businesses love the idea of being able to provide better service, productivity, and higher customer satisfaction.  The same goes for increased sales and profit.  These are just a few of the things your business will enjoy when you leverage the power that comes with having engaged and happy employees.

Take a look at the two following teams, and decide which one your employees would prefer to be a part of:

Team A:  Employees in this workplace clock in and out automatically, they might undermine their co-workers, can’t wait until the day ends, and they practically run for the door on Friday afternoons.  This workplace never takes a timeout to have fun, and employees aren’t encouraged to interact with one another—it’s all business, all the time.

Team B:  Employees in this workplace show up for the day with their favorite coffee and get to work collaborating with their team, because they know their colleagues value their input.  This workplace occasionally takes time to celebrate the wins—big and small—and has special team-building days like “Fan Day Fridays” during baseball season.  They’re all highly invested in the success of the business, and achieving a good balance is important to them.

Which team would you want to manage?  Which team do you think would have the most productive workday?

Although Team B takes occasional breaks and builds in time for teambuilding activities, they get a lot more accomplished during their workdays.  With an engaged and happy team, there is more productivity and more willingness to participate in team projects and activities.  Customer service will be at its best, because these employees are proud of where they work and what they do—and they want to share that with their customers.  Additionally, you’ll notice your employees will invest more of themselves in ensuring your dealership is successful when they feel appreciated and recognized for their contributions.

According to TalentCulture, highly engaged employees are 38% more likely to have above-average productivity.  That alone is worth an extra coffee break or a Friday jeans day!

The Investment

It doesn’t take a large investment of either time or money in order to impact your team positively and re-engage your employees.  A simple commitment to focus on changing team behaviors is the pivotal action needed to create a positive and engaging workplace.  All you need is the desire to change your workplace into a workplace that engages its employees.

Be creative in the ways you choose to engage your employees.  Remember, you are deciding to increase your employee engagement AND boost your brand when you focus on creating a more positive employee culture.  There are several ways you can get started, but if you’re looking for some ideas, check out the list below:

• Encourage employees to work on personal projects for short periods of time.
• Encourage charity and volunteer projects.
• Announce themed office days.
• Remember to celebrate people and achievements.
• Plan teambuilding events and time away from the office.
• Assign new team members a buddy for the first few days to help their comfort level.

The Return on Your Investment

What you will get in return is priceless.  Not only will your employees thrive in an engaged workplace, they will begin to show a higher level of productivity and customer service, resulting in more positive business results for you.  The culture you create will grow into positive brand activism on the part of your employees.  They will be proud of where they work and what they do—and they will want to share that with those who are important to them.

Let the power of one work for you.  One engaged employee can positively impact your business by sharing with 10 times the number of people your brand is reaching.  Your engaged employees can fire up your business!