Research has proven that employee satisfaction is directly associated to customer satisfaction, and, of course, customer satisfaction is directly associated to return on investment.

Human resources cannot be a function for hiring, firing and appraisals. They are the gatekeepers for employees and have to be concerned with the overall development of the individual.

HR managers need to work with marketing research and learn techniques to find employee needs, similar to the way marketers find customer needs. Then they should cluster employees with similar needs into groups and develop specific employee engagement programmes for each group. They should then market the programmes to employees through the marketing department.

Finally, HR should evaluate the results of these initiatives by thoroughly measuring employee satisfaction, looking at how it impacts productivity and return on investment.

Because employees should like the company more than customers do. That’s because the employee’s livelihood depends on the company. Customers always have a choice. How many customer satisfaction surveys do companies do in a year? And importantly, do they undertake the same number of employee satisfaction surveys?

Companies can definitely make good profits. But profits are better if they do it through employee marketing.

As economies get stronger and people have more choices, loyalty to companies is going to go down the tube. On the other hand, customers are going to demand more and more sophisticated services. That’s because with the kind of branding we see today, consumer expectations need to be matched with what the communication promises.

As a result, employee training becomes more expensive. Hence when you cannot retain employees, it’s a real drain of resources on the company. A new employee needs to be exactly the same, if not better, than the person before. If you do not take care of them, the company stands to lose.

By the time employees are 30-32 years old, they have changed jobs six-seven times. The new generation is not about “am I successful?” They are interested in “do I like it?”

It’s similar to marketing research. We go to customers and find their needs and identify barriers. Then we cluster customers according to the lowest price, best services and so on.

Similarly, when you segment your employee base you can develop programmes for each group and brand and deliver it differently. Some employees have weight-related problems, others have diabetes. Some have very good savings but don’t know how to invest. Others don’t know how to save.

Men think differently than women in terms of savings. For example, women don’t want to depend on children when they grow old and are too concerned about future health problems. Men feel they will never stop working. Sixty per cent of men covered in research had retired without planning for retirement.

Women are anxious about retirement and men are more emotional about retirement. When women are sad, they take more risks than men. When men are sad, they discount it and try to distract themselves from sadness. Since they manage emotions differently, you need completely different employee programmes.

Across the world, employees are all the same. Companies are going to realise that employees do not have just financial needs. They have spiritual, health and financial needs. They have long-term needs. People always want to be valued and respected for what they like to do.

In India, there’s always been this sense of the company being a family and that companies will take care of their family members. As companies grow rapidly, they will lose that family connection. The culture that the US and European companies are artificially trying to develop is naturally present in Indian companies.

But as they are growing, Indian companies have no option but to start focusing on customized programmes for employees. They should then test it by finding out what employees think about the programme and measure effectiveness like “did the programme change employee behaviour?” and so on. Over a 1-2 year timeframe companies should analyse if there was any change in employee attitude, teamwork and productivity. The data will make companies more interested in increasing investments on employee programmes.

Globally, among the Fortune 500 companies, we are analysing what employee programmes these companies run and co-relate that with their rankings. We want companies to realise that with better programmes they have better rankings.

Then companies can afford to pay lesser salaries because they have the reputation of being a big company to work for. So employees feel that in the long-term they are better off in this company even if they have to take a hit in the short term.

This is the Beijing Capital International Airport. It is the world’s largest airport building and the centerpiece of China’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure boom and provides a glimpse into China’s vision of 21st-century air travel.

The futuristic airport has been built in preparation for the millions who are likely to visit China for the Olympic Games and to meet the country’s booming air traffic.

An airport employee cleans the floor at the new terminal building Terminal Three — T3 — at the Beijing Capital International Airport. This is the world’s largest terminal.

The roof of the swanky new terminal looks like a dragon from the air with its wing spread running 3.25 km. The giant dragon-shaped terminal is 100 hectares in size: that is as big as 170 soccer fields.

This makes the airport larger than the Pentagon and almost 20 per cent bigger than all five terminals of London’s Heathrow put together.

The terminal has walls of glass. The skylights of the terminal building are designed to look like scales on a dragon’s back and to let natural light into the building. The dragon is considered a sign of strength and luck in China.

Almost 50,000 workers toiled round the clock in 8-hour shifts and built the colossal $3.75-billion terminal in only four years. China wanted the airport to be ready before August 8, when the Beijing Olympic Games begin.

However, the construction of the airport involved the demolition of thousands of houses that rendered more than 10,000 Chinese peasants homeless. China’s autocratic Communist regime could thus manage to do something that democratic governments — like India’s — can hardly ever match.

The airport was designed by British architect Norman Foster, who has also designed Hong Kong’s famous Chep Lap Kok airport.

British firm Arup, which has provided engineering and architectural design services for the Hyderabad International Airport, built the airport.

The new terminal will have a capacity of 75 million passengers a year. It features an extremely high-tech passenger baggage system — on 50 km of conveyor belts — that can handle 19,800 bags per hour.

The size of the new Beijing airport can be gauged from the fact that it boasts of 64 restaurants, 80 retail stores, 175 escalators, 173 lifts, 437 travelators or moving footpaths, and 300 check-in counters.

The terminal has a 3-km long concourse, divided into three sections and connected by a shuttle train. The airport’s shuttle train service can ferry passengers around the mammoth airport.

According to Norman Foster, the airport’s architect, the airport is ’so big that under a certain amount of light you can’t see one end of the building from the other.’

Apart from the shuttle, a high-speed commuter train (subway as also elevated) service will carry passengers between the airport and Beijing in 15 minutes. Two Airport Lines, scheduled to open before July, on elevated lines connect the airport with the transport hub of Dongzhimen. The Olympic branch line has four stations, each with a theme.

The airport’s runway is capable of handling the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380.

The airport building has integrated environmental control systems to minimise energy consumption and carbon emissions, report say.

The airlines that will use airport initially include Air China, Sichuan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Hong Kong’s Dragonair, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Qatar Airways, Qantas Airways, El Al Israel Airlines, Emirates and other Star Alliance members.

The most successful relationships are built on the efforts of both parties, and communication is a key part of that effort. Here are a few questions you should periodically ask yourself:

• Have I told my employees about our organization’s mission and vision and how their work contributes to meeting organizational goals?
• Have I told my employees of my expectations of performance and conduct? In particular, have I established performance plans for my employees, and have I clearly specified my requirements for requesting planned and emergency leave?
• Am I consistent in applying the “rules” of the office to all staff?
• Do I pass on information from top-level staff meetings, and from other meetings my staff does not attend, so my employees feel they are part of the “big picture”?
• Do I remember to take the time to communicate face-to-face and not just by e-mail or leaving notes?
• Do I take notice when my employees make a positive contribution and express specific and timely appreciation?
• Do I remember to ask my employees for their thoughts on improving work processes or the office environment? (And, when I ask for feedback, do I incorporate some of the ideas my employees offer or tell them why they can’t be used?)
• When an employee wants to talk to me, do I set aside uninterrupted time in a private space, so I can actively listen to what the employee has to say?
• If I notice a problem with performance or behavior, do I immediately address it with the individual employee instead of issuing a “blanket reprimand” to my staff or ignoring the problem (both of which adversely effect the morale of the staff)?

• Don’t Worry

When you’re preoccupied with personal issues, it’s difficult to concentrate or be happy at work. By all means, make sure you have your kids covered in the event of an emergency, but realize that nobody’s personal life is ever going to be completely problem-free. Just as you need to let go of work to enjoy your time at home, it’s important to leave personal worries at home so you can focus and be productive at work.

• Create an Office Nest

You are at your job for at least eight hours a day, which is more time than you probably spend in your bed. Make your space your own, decorate your area as much as your company policy permits, and make yourself as comfortable and relaxed as you can be in your office.

Develop an Office Support System

Gathering a circle of colleagues who share similar backgrounds or lifestyles can take a lot of pressure off you at work. When you are able to voice your feelings to people who understand, it can really help minimize stress

• Eat Healthy and Drink Lots of Water

Maintaining a good diet and keeping yourself properly hydrated throughout your workday can really make a big difference in your energy level and attitude. And if you can manage to maintain a diet of whole foods, as opposed to refined foods such as sugar and bread, then you’ll really be ahead of the game.

• Be Organized

Create a manageable schedule to handle your workload. A sense of empowerment stems from accomplishment. When you feel overwhelmed, it tends to intensify dissatisfaction. By being proactive and taking control, employees can feel a sense of satisfaction, enhanced confidence and motivation.

• Move Around

Working in an office can be a very sedentary job, so it’s especially important to your overall sense of health and happiness to take a few minutes during your workday to get up and move a little.

• Don’t Try to Change Your Coworkers

You can’t change anyone; you can only change the way you react to them. Don’t let other people’s actions affect you. Just figure out a way to resolve conflicts and avert uncomfortable situations.

• Reward Yourself

Identify a reward outside of your job, and indulge yourself. Whether it be dinner with friends, a movie, exercise or a manicure, treat yourself every once in a while. Just as stress from home can interfere with work, the positive aspects of your life can influence mood at work as well.

• Take a Breather

In yoga, the breath of joy is practiced, in which we inhale a long breath and then exhale laughter. Stand with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Inhale deeply, then exhale laughter and bend forward. Try to do this movement 10 times.

• Focus on the Positive

Identify the things that you like at work, even if they are as simple as your coworkers or the nice view from your office window. You create your own mind-set. If you stress the positives, you will make your job more enjoyable. Worrying about the negatives may cause you to become overwhelmed.

It is very vital to have good interpersonal communication skills to succeed in today’s work environment. Interpersonal communication not only includes how we speak but also includes our body language, mannerisms, and idiosyncrasies. Good interpersonal communication skills go a long way in boosting job satisfaction, growth, promotion, network building, relationship management, etc. It is, therefore, important to develop these skills. 

Here are some tips on how to develop good interpersonal communication skills.

• Try to speak slowly and clearly. Some people speak very fast. As a result the listener is not fully able to understand what they are trying to convey. Also, not many people trust fast talkers.
• Do not talk too much in work place. Speak only when it is necessary and required. Be brief and concise. Do not give unsolicited advice and opinion. Remember the old adage “If speech is silver silence is gold.”
• Some people become tongue tied in front of their seniors or important clients. To overcome this situation, decide what you want to say in advance and practice it a couple of times in front of the mirror. Try to develop your self-confidence. Make a conscious effort to do so. Build a rapport with those people who share time or space with you.
• Keep an eye on your body movements and body language. Curb irritating habits like tapping feet, fidgeting, scratching you head, shuffling from one foot to other.
• Be polite and aware of your bad habits. If someone points out something negative about you, accept it gracefully and try to overcome it. Simple words like “Please” and “Thank you” go a long way in building good relationships.