This week, I had the pleasure of meeting with Silkbricks, a Dutch company based in Den Haag. They’ve built a SaaS tool that helps increase workplace engagement by incorporating the personal passions of employees into a company’s corporate vision.
Essentially, they create workplaces where great things happen. The premise is brilliantly simple: when employees are happy at work, they are more motivated to engage and contribute.
Each business has a definition of success that usually involves revenue. At the same time, each employee has their own vision of success. It’s usually something like financial compensation, professional growth, or having a healthy work-life balance. In order for a business to stay competitive, its employees need to give their best. However, this motivation is not something that can be mandated. Silkbricks has set out how to align business performance with employee satisfaction.
Years ago, I worked at an engineering firm. One of the employees was a yoga instructor. Someone asked if she would be willing to teach a weekly class, and she enthusiastically volunteered. Every week, 10 to 20 of us gathered in a conference room and learned yoga together. For the employees, it was a healthy break and a way to bond with each other. For the company, it was a low-cost way to increase the morale and health of their workforce.
About a year ago, I approached one of my clients and proposed writing a blog for their website. They were focused on being “thought leaders” in the field of private social networking. When we combined forces, I got to write about a topic I loved (online communities) and the company gained credibility and marketing opportunities from my writing.
Having an engaged workforce helps drive business performance. Being happy at work increases engagement and improves quality of life. And while morale isn’t something that can be forced or manufactured, a company can increase the chances by focusing on engagement opportunities. Silkbricks is a great way to use a company’s existing resources to increase engagement. So then my question to business owners is… why wouldn’t you do this?
