GUEST: Rapport Benefits Group Principal, Chris Free — http://rapportbenefits.com/
Chris Free on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-free-b337714
A theme that runs through my conversation with Chris can be summed up with a Richard Branson quote: âEmployees come first. If you take care of your employees, theyâll take care of the clients.â
Rapport Benefits Group keeps winning âTop Place to Workâ awards because Chris and his business partners take this wisdom to heart, and they run their buiness in support of their employees. Iâve talked to their employees. They love woking there. And the company keeps growing. Business is good.
Here are a few highlight points from our conversation.
Make sure employees are well respected and treated.
Your employees are the face of your company.
Take care of your employees and they will take care of your clients.
- Practice flexibility and compassion
- Time and space for the things that come up in life
- Look at output over time from a given employee. Some days are up, some are down. Itâs the aggregate that matters.
Longevity of employees leads to great client relationships
Loyal employees are engaged with their work. If your employee is worried about personal, at-home things, theyâre not productive. Let them address their life in the timing of life, and theyâll produce.
Maslowâs hierarchy of needs is often cited when looking at student productivity in school. Itâs just as relevant on the job. Basically, if youâre hungry, or worried about your well being or that of your family, youâre not going to be able to focus on matters higher up the hierarchy — like writing a report or serving a client.
Chris told us, âWe ask them about their goals. We help develop them to achieve their goals — career and non-career goals.â We want you to fulfill your life. As we do, youâll perform for our firm.
Create a place where people think, âMaybe I donât want to get out of bed and go to work today, but what if I miss something cool?â
You can foster great relationships with people whom you turn down for jobs — by referring them to jobs thatâd be a better fit.
If you help people promote themselves out of your employ, youâll have a brand ambassador for life.
Donât create the environment for work that youâve been disappointed by in past workplaces.
Set clear and accurate expectations.
Look for outcomes, not features.
How do you stand apart? Get out of the office. Get involved with people. Be in the community.
Cultivate a qualitative over a quantitative focus.
Theme music by: Miguel Juarez
Midshow break music by : Allan Loucks www.TinEar.com