Ladies and gentlemen, meet Google.

You’ve heard the myth that [tag]Google[/tag] treats its employees like royalty right? Well I’m here to tell you that its no fable. Employees at Google enjoy free gourmet lunches distributed in their many cafeteries across the campus. If you don’t wish to drive to work, Google has set up shuttles that will take you from your house to its headquarters. If on the other hand you like to drive, no worries, Google provides free car washes and free oil changes. Looking to save the environment and get a hybrid? Google will help you out by forwarding you a healthy 5000 dollars towards the investment. At Google, you can work out in their gym and enroll in classes that teach Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, French, and the list goes on. Motorized scooters are also provided to you – incase you’re feeling a little too tired to walk from one side of the workplace to another. That back feeling sore? Google provides free massages and free aerobic sessions. Need I say more?

As good as the perks sound, Google is doing something that in my opinion is the most important thing of all. [tag]Empowering[/tag] their [tag]employees[/tag]. Far too many companies (whether large or small) ignore the importance of treating their employees good. Failing to realize that the human spirit was not built for 8 hours of redundancy is a costly mistake, with severe consquences. Building company culture should be fixated around bettering employee relations; motivating and inspiring them to believe in the company vision. Employees will be motivated to perform if they are rewarded. Ignoring this and perpetuating alienation will have you and your business on a path to self-destruction.

Think of it like this. The market is a war terrain, and you are the General leading your troops into battle. Are you leading a pack of motivated, well rested and inspired soldiers, or a batallion of fatigued, non-inspired soldiers? One of the greatest generals of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte remarked; “a soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon.” Assume that the colored ribbon is a free massage, and imagine the lengths your employee will go in order to complete the task.

What’s that I hear? Google is a rare exception you say – and how wrong you are. Digital River (a company that specializes in e-commerce and software engineering) believes that the company is as strong as its employees. It’s why they have ‘Beer Fridays’ where employees bust open kegs of beer after 5, bring your pet day (self-explanatory) and monthly barbeques. The result? They find themselves on the top; being branded as the leading e-commerce outsource company with a healthy annual revenue.

Is it a coincedence that these two companies treat their employees like royalty and find themselves at the top? I think not. Whether its a desk job or a physically oriented job, employees are the primary focus of any intelligent and succesful business owner. Without satisfied employees believing in the company vision, you are a captain of a ship steering towards an iceberg. Don’t let the World suffer another Titanic.

Written By: Bp