Company leaders struggle to cultivate a culture of employee loyalty, but the solution is totally within their control. Companies who have an established mission and vision to guide their path often enjoy lower turnover rates and higher employer loyalty.
In using a mission and vision to build employee loyalty, it’s important to make sure that these documents are crafted properly to allow the company to use them as a guiding principal. Here are a few tips on what a company mission and vision look like and how you can use them to form a connection with employees.
A Mission: “The Why”
A company mission answers the question, “Why does my company exist?” It should address a problem your company can solve and it should be something employees can easily repeat. A company mission should pass the “cocktail party test.” If you’re at a cocktail party, you should be able to use themes from the mission to answer when people ask where you work.
According to a Gallup study, less than half the employees in any industry feel connected to their company’s mission. A company mission should have the opposite effect, it should be something employees can take pride in. It should be strongly worded and exude confidence and leadership in the market. When an employee gets discouraged or feels like just another cog in the machine, they should be able to consult the company mission to remember the “big picture” their job function is contributing to.
A Vision: “The What and The How”
A company vision answers the more aspirational question, “What does my organization want to achieve?” along with, “How do they want to achieve it?” It should add elements of ambition and practicality to your mission’s structure. This is where you can set the tone for your company culture or define your company’s personality, and deliver that message to your employees as a statement they’ll remember.
A vision should be an identity. It should help shape who your company is and provide context for connecting your company’s vision with your employees’ personal missions and visions. According to the same Gallup study, 83% of employees classify “having a purpose” as very important. Since adults spend most of their waking hours at work, understanding the company’s purpose helps employees guide their own personal vision and purpose.
Bringing It All Together
As an organization, your mission and vision are tools to show your purpose and style to the external audience. For employees, your mission and vision build a bridge between their personal and professional lives and goals. Once you make that connection, employees see their futures, careers and lives in the context of your business. Employee loyalty is built on this connection and lasts longer the stronger it is. Employees want to know they work with purpose, and developing the right mission and vision statements will help them understand why their job and your company matter.
