ADD VALUE TO YOUR EMPLOYER
Add value to your company and move ahead
Organisations want employees who add more than just to the headcount.
The employer-employee relationship has evolved rapidly over the past few years. With companies increasingly focusing on the bottom-ine, recruitment and retrenchment often follow their performance curve and at shorter cycles. A major outcome of this has been a weakening of employee loyalty.In this new age of employer-employee relationships, is it still relevant to stay loyal to your employer and add value to the company?
The answer is yes, and it is not only for salary increments and promotions. In the process of adding value to your employer, you are increasing your value and long-term employability through learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge. This also leads to more training opportunities, a greater access to interesting and challenging work, a higher level of job satisfaction, as well as recognition from bosses and colleagues.
The employee who adds value to his employer is going to eventually benefit the most in his personal and professional growth and development.
New world order
Employers increasingly value workers who are effective not only in their current roles but have the potential to perform in the future. They want people who are able to meet current requirements of the position, as well as future, unknown challenges. As an employee, you have to constantly stay relevant, be adaptable and flexible. Handling new challenges will also require you to be self-motivated to take those few extra steps.
Employers want employees who apply themselves to grow with, lead or transform the company. To meet this challenge, you must first see the big picture and add value to it.
So how should you go about increasing your value to employers?
likely to assign more opportunities to employees who are great at what they do. Employees too are better positioned to take on new work and add new value if they are already delivering top-notch results in their current jobs. Do your best in every task every day.
Plan your path
Think about your current work situation and assess your strengths and weaknesses. Appraise your own performance on a regular basis. Take note of your professional worth and how you can leverage on your strengths to optimise your value. Work on your weaknesses to limit the liabilities. Striving first to understand the value that you are adding (or failing to add) to the company is important.
Next, set targets to increase the value added and outline the necessary steps on how and where you can do it.
Stay relevant
Develop both the hard and soft sklills that are needed in the future, such as multicultural communication skills, leadership qualities and advanced technical skills. In shoer, equip yourself with whatever it is that your industry and the future workplace need. To achieve this, you need to take charge of your career development. Participate actively in your performance appraisal and career path planning. For example, talk to your supervisor about attending training courses. Proactively seek feedback on your performance. Read trade periodicals to stay up-to-date on developments in your industry.
Go beyond work scope
Bosses appreciate people who venture out of their comfort zones. This shows they are willing to think beyond their "specified work scope" and "official hours".
Offer to help your supervisors and co-workers, keep an eye on new internal job openings and projects. Above all, volunteer to take up new assignments. Taking on a variety of tasks, especially those beyond your current work scope, offers valuable opportunities to "stretch yourself and develop new skills.
Have positive attitude
Show energy and commitment-be a positive role model to others. Employers appreciate having optimistic and motivated employees. They read it as commitment to the job and to the company. They are more willing to give such employees more opportunities. Take on new challenges with enthusiasm and with a "can do" attitude. A positive attitude also increases your resilience, which is a critical character trait in meeting uncertainties and new challenges in the workplace.
Go the extra mile
Take the initiative in the things that you do. Though it is a common advice, it is worth highlighting it again. There is a big difference between an employee who does his job and an employee who does what it takes to get the job done. Impress your supervisors by not only outlining the problems at hand, but also proposing solutions at the same time. Bosses can usually identify employees who exercise initiative and they appreciate this quality.
See the big picture
Align your career plans with the growth objectives of the company. Firstly, understand where the company is heading - its corporate vision, mission, culture and values. This will enable you to make wiser decisions about aligning your goals with those of the company's. Find ways to add value to the big picture, be it pioneering improved business processes, helping to increase sales or reduce costs, increasing quality, enhancing efficiencies, boosting productivity or increasing customer satisfaction.
By helping the company to realise its goals, you realise yours. This is the win-win situation that characterises the new employer-employee partnership.
