Become a Valued Employee
- posted by KLR
We would all like to think we are invaluable to our employers. But few understand what is valuable to their employer. Valued employees are compensated higher because they are, well, more valuable to their employer than others. There are numerous web sites devoted to the traits of a valuable employee.
I had a recent experience over the holiday weekend that brought this to mind and demonstrated how simple being valuable can be. On two successive evenings, my wife and I decided to go out to dinner. Nothing fancy, just mid-range restaurants where we could have a good meal choice and not have to clean up afterward.
In both cases, I called ahead as I was concerned about the wait once we got to the restaurant. In the first instance, I asked about placing my name on the “call-ahead seating” list and the employee who answered the phone said they did not have one. I asked about the wait and was told it was only about 10-15 minutes. I pushed and asked if he would put my name on the waiting list as I was about 10-15 minutes away from the restaurant. The employee repeated that they “did not do that” and hung up.
On the second evening, I did the same thing to a different restaurant. The employee who answered the phone this time said that reservations were not necessary, but why didn’t I give her my name and she would be sure to have an excellent table waiting for me when I arrived and when did I think that would be.
The difference? On the first evening, I wasn’t convinced that they wanted our business; nothing was making me continue to drive to that restaurant and when we passed other eating establishments on the way we could have turned into any one of them. On the second evening, I felt committed to the restaurant I called; I felt they were waiting for us and we had to fulfill our “commitment” to go there and occupy our special table.
When we got to the restaurant on the second night, we discovered a restaurant that was more than half empty. When we walked in the hostess greeted us by name (obviously no one else had called ahead) and we were shown to our special table (among many empty tables). All-in-all a nice experience in a very ordinary restaurant.
So who is the more valuable employee? It is obvious; the second employee clearly understands what her job is – getting and keeping customers happy – and has figured out a few tactics to accomplish her job. The more customers she brings (or brings back) to the restaurant, the more valuable she is. The difference will be obvious to the employer and the valued employee will have a compensation level that reflects his or her value.
What can you do to increase your value to your employer?
By Frank Monti, CPA
Not For Profit Group
I had a recent experience over the holiday weekend that brought this to mind and demonstrated how simple being valuable can be. On two successive evenings, my wife and I decided to go out to dinner. Nothing fancy, just mid-range restaurants where we could have a good meal choice and not have to clean up afterward.
In both cases, I called ahead as I was concerned about the wait once we got to the restaurant. In the first instance, I asked about placing my name on the “call-ahead seating” list and the employee who answered the phone said they did not have one. I asked about the wait and was told it was only about 10-15 minutes. I pushed and asked if he would put my name on the waiting list as I was about 10-15 minutes away from the restaurant. The employee repeated that they “did not do that” and hung up.
On the second evening, I did the same thing to a different restaurant. The employee who answered the phone this time said that reservations were not necessary, but why didn’t I give her my name and she would be sure to have an excellent table waiting for me when I arrived and when did I think that would be.
The difference? On the first evening, I wasn’t convinced that they wanted our business; nothing was making me continue to drive to that restaurant and when we passed other eating establishments on the way we could have turned into any one of them. On the second evening, I felt committed to the restaurant I called; I felt they were waiting for us and we had to fulfill our “commitment” to go there and occupy our special table.
When we got to the restaurant on the second night, we discovered a restaurant that was more than half empty. When we walked in the hostess greeted us by name (obviously no one else had called ahead) and we were shown to our special table (among many empty tables). All-in-all a nice experience in a very ordinary restaurant.
So who is the more valuable employee? It is obvious; the second employee clearly understands what her job is – getting and keeping customers happy – and has figured out a few tactics to accomplish her job. The more customers she brings (or brings back) to the restaurant, the more valuable she is. The difference will be obvious to the employer and the valued employee will have a compensation level that reflects his or her value.
What can you do to increase your value to your employer?
By Frank Monti, CPA
Not For Profit Group
About this Blog
KLR is one of New England's premier accounting and business consulting firms. With 160 team members and offices in Providence, Boston, Natick and Newport, KLR provides a wide range of services to both individuals and businesses.
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