The success of a brand relies on two sets of individuals: your clients and your team. One without the other will guarantee the failure of your business.

Companies focus so much on getting new clients that they forget the importance of engaging their team to improve work satisfaction, productivity and therefore business results. Here are some ideas you can implement:

Company culture

Even if you have never been to the Facebook and Google offices, you can visualise their company environment. Your internal brand experience is as important as your external brand experience.

Define the type of environment you want to create. Is it collaborative and open plan? Is it minimalist and intimist? By doing so, you will only attract talent that fits with your company culture and personality. This is important because your environment can enhance creativity.

Ever seen pictures of people sitting on a beach working on their laptop? Some people thrive on working outdoors, it’s necessary to their thinking process. Think about the culture that you want to build from the outset and create it!

Use your brand colours in your office to reinforce your company identity

Your branding doesn’t stop at your logo. An interior design personalised to your brand colours creates a dynamic environment. If you have chosen your brand colours effectively, you can use them to align different work activities.

For example, if your brand colours are blue, yellow and white, use a dominance of blue in the quiet or break out space. Use a dominance of yellow in the meeting rooms or creative space of your office as you want your team to use the creative part of their brain.

Then use a dominance of white in the desk areas as you want your team to be productive and effective. There is a psychology behind colours. Choose your colours and areas well.

Use your walls

When it comes to engaging prospects, it takes on average seven times to see a marketing or advertising campaign before they decide to engage.

The same rule applies to employees. Use your walls to communicate your brand purpose. Employees who understand the vision of your company and feel valued will work harder than the ones who don’t. This might sound clichéd, but it really does work.

Listen and let them find solutions

A great leader doesn’t tell his or her team what to do but guides them, so they can find the solutions to the challenges you face. Use your office environment as a place where employees are welcome to voice out challenges they face and discuss with other team members or managers how to solve the challenge.

This is useful in meetings, but it should extend beyond formal meetings. People shrink when they don’t feel heard and valued but they thrive when they feel heard, valued and respected. This is something that should be cultivated. I cannot overstress the importance of this.

The power of thank you

The most common reason employers lose talent is because employees don’t feel valued. Never underestimate the power of the words ‘thank you’. Take the time to acknowledge the work of your team, share it with the company and thank them regularly. There is a saying: Praise publicly and rebuke in private, and this is so true.

The tips above should help you to get the most out of your environment, but don’t stop there.  People spend a lot of their day at work, so it should be a friendly, productive environment that people look forward to coming to.

As the business owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure that this happens. It will save you money in the long run, as you will save on recruitment fees if your staff stay longer, and it will improve business continuity.

Flavilla Fongang is an award branding expert, and the founder of www.3coloursrule.com.