Go beyond the bare minimum for your team and create a destination workplace

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

Most people understand that when you put the word "destination" in front of another word, it does something special. It takes is to a new level. It indicates an entirely different class, quality and/or experience. This sets it apart as unique and special, and often involves a degree of excellence.

A destination wedding allows couples to have their wedding at a unique location of their choice - normally a venue that feels more lavish, unusual or luxurious than the alternatives they might otherwise have considered. A destination hotel or resort is not just a place to stay, it is the reason to visit a country or region because it is special or offers many services or activities (according to the Longman dictionary).

Now let's talk about a destination workplace: a company or who is a truly desirable workplace. It's a place people want to work there more than most other companies because it's unique and exceptional.

And amid the current labor crisis, there has never been a more important time in history to focus on creating a destination workplace.

To become a destination workplace, everything must cultivate a work environment that:

Helps its staff to meet all their universal needs. Does not actively compromise their universal needs.

Both are equally important, but for most businesses number 2 is actually the priority because it's usually the most common issue. So let's go.

Related: The labor shortage is only getting worse. What's causing this and how can I avoid losing staff?

Employee engagement is essential for better business results

When it comes to staff, many organizations have historically focused only on the financial aspect of their needs: are we paying them enough and are the benefits good enough?

But if you want to create a destination workplace, you need to support all aspects of your employees' universal needs. This includes:

What they need to survive (e.g. pay and safe working conditions) What they need for their internal well-being (for example, to be recognized, valued, empowered in their role and not to have to compromise their personal or professional integrity) What they need to grow and develop (for example, training, opportunities, and some variety in their work) What they need to have a greater sense of accomplishment/purpose (like feeling they are contributing to something bigger than themselves, for example).

When leaders and organizations create initiatives that address all of these aspects of their people, it's a game-changer for both employee engagement, loyalty, and business results.

The way most organizations have been run up to now, the focus has been primarily, if not solely, on the bottom line; they view employees as a resource for generating financial results. What most companies don't realize is that if you manage your organization in a way that ensures employees' needs are well met, they will in turn be more successful, more engaged, and less likely to leave.

This new approach, which prioritizes the needs of your employees alongside the needs of the organization, not only creates a better culture and environment for your entire company, but also generates bottom line results. too.

Employee engagement is the extent to which the organization, team, and work help an employee meet their needs, which creates the mental and emotional connection between the employee and the organization that leads to commitment.

Employee engagement is basically the equivalent of internal customer service: how does the organization, the team, and the job meet the needs of the employee?

Gallup compared business units with high levels of engagement to those without and reported the following findings: Engaged employees increase productivity by 17%, increase customer ratings by 10%, increase sales by 20%, increase profitability by 21% and reduce absenteeism by 41%. So by adopting an employee engagement approach, your bottom line will also improve. Better your employee...