Be nice to me, too!

​Many businesses encourage employees to treat each other as customers. 
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Jan Carlzon was the President and CEO of Scandinavian Airline in 1981. After years of delayed flights, his job was to make the planes run on time. He started a plan called  "Putting People First." Notice it’s people first, not customers first.

The idea was now front-line staff were allowed to fix problems on the spot instead of waiting for a supervisor’s permission. Colleagues who worked for each other now worked with each other – the same way employees work with the customer to find the right shirt, buy the right gift, or book the right flight.
 
What does it mean to treat colleagues like customers? Give them the same courtesy and respect as you would a patron of your business

• Be nice
• Respect their values
• Offer to do things for them
• Say “please” and “thank you”.
• Stay away from controversial topics.
• Show up to meetings on time (Would you be late to a client meeting?)

 

You know how customers go away if they don’t like your business? Martin Oliver, managing director of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., one of the world's largest insurance firms in the world, says the same thing about staff.
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​Treating each other the way you treat your customers is just good business. How can I help you? ​​