A few weeks ago I experienced what it’s like to really feel looked after.

I was out for dinner with my Dad.  

And the restaurant only had one thing on the menu. 

Steak and chips.

It’s not the place to go if you want variety.  

And it's definitely not the place to go if you’re a vegan, a herbivore or a fruitarian.  Or any other vegetable-only dietary combination.

But it is the place to go if you want to be treated well.

When you enter, the staff greet you with a huge smile.

The room is buzzing.  The red banquettes are plush and snug.  And the service is slick as a whistle.

This is a restaurant which looks after its customers. 

And it has one particular way of showing this.

See, when you’ve almost finished your food, a waiter or waitress comes to your table…

Lowers a silver platter…

And dishes up an extra portion of steak and chips.

I had no idea this would happen.

So when I saw what was unfolding, my eyes opened wide.

It was magical.

I felt like the cat who’d got the cream.

More food! 

And this is why the restaurant is so busy. 

It’s all positioning.  It’s all marketing.  Of course it is.

But it works.  The restaurant knows how to make customers feel looked after.  And this is why I want to go back.

Contrast this with restaurants where you wait half an hour to be handed a menu…

You order a burger and get served fish and chips…

Or you can see the chefs picking their nose in the kitchen.

It’s clear these places couldn’t give two hoots about their customers.

All this got me thinking about what it means for a business to look after people.

And more to the point, how companies look after their staff.

Nowadays “looking after staff” seems to mean handing out free lunch vouchers…

Or putting on a weekly yoga class…

Or giving out a few beers on a Friday.

This may be well-intentioned. 

But it’s just paying lip service to employee satisfaction and wellbeing.  None of these things make any real, meaningful difference.

Kind of like a restaurant offering you a complimentary bread basket, then burning your lamb and potatoes.

So what would I like to see instead?

Workplaces that actually care about you and your wellbeing…

Recognise staff have needs as well as obligations…

And go out of their way to give back.

In my view, workplaces which do this will have happier staff.

Which means more engaged staff.  Staff who actually want to turn up each day, rather than feel like they have to turn up each day.

And when staff want to do their work, it leads to better results. 

So it’s win-win for everyone.

That’s my take.  But I’d love to know yours.

How important is it for you to feel looked after at work?  And do you feel like you are?

Catch you tomorrow.

- Tom 

p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me