We talk a lot about putting the customer first.  But there’s a question we should perhaps ask ourselves first:

Is the employee truly at the heart of the company?  Because the employee can also become just a number.

A number on a payroll.

A number in a productivity statistic.

A number in a results table.

A number that appears when a position needs to be filled and disappears when it is no longer needed.

But behind every number there is a person.  A person with abilities, worries, dreams, a family, and a life plan.

The employee is not just a resource

For a long time we have referred to employees as  human resources . The expression is common, but perhaps it would be worthwhile to remember that  people are not simply resources that the company uses to achieve its objectives.

They are the ones who make it possible to achieve those goals. Therefore, a company that truly wants to serve people should also ask itself:

How can we help the people who work with us to perform their jobs better and, at the same time, grow as individuals?

This does not mean that a company should forget about productivity or results. On the contrary.

An employee who feels valued, listened to, and treated with respect can be more committed to their work and the company’s project.

A very simple example

Let’s imagine two companies.

In the first case, when an employee makes a mistake, the first thing people look for is who is to blame.

In the second stage, the aim is to understand what has happened, listen to the employee, and find a solution.

Both companies want to avoid mistakes.

But the second one is building something more:  a culture based on trust and responsibility .

And that’s also part of marketing. Because the experience a customer receives doesn’t depend solely on an advertising campaign. Often, it depends on the person who serves them, listens to them, solves their problem, or guides them through the buying process.

Values-based marketing

If we argue that values ​​should be a criterion for making business decisions, we must also apply them to those who work in the company.

We cannot talk about putting the person at the center while treating the employee as a number.

Respect, trust, responsibility, fairness, and the ability to listen shouldn’t just appear in corporate communications. They should be part of the everyday way the company is run.

One last thought

Perhaps one of the best ways to know if a company truly puts people first is to observe  how it treats its employees when no one is watching .

Because when an employee stops being a number and starts being treated as a person, they can also look at the customer differently:  as a person worth serving.

And then marketing ceases to be merely a tool for selling.  It becomes a way to create value for people.

By  José Miguel Ponce