Employees Don’t Want to Be a ‘Cost’ by Szymon Janiak

The post was originally published in Polish on Szymon’s LinkedIn profile. Szymon kindly agreed to republish what we think is of great value to our readers.

An employee is a cost, not an investment. As a shareholder in dozens of companies, I heard this sentence more than once. They are uttered by CEOs, managers, and even some business owners. And then they are surprised that they have a problem with loyalty, motivation, and turnover.

Because if you only see people as a ‘cost,’ then sooner or later they will see you only as an ‘employer who can be changed for a better one.’ It’s a simple equation.

• Do you expect commitment? But you don’t leave room for development.
• Do you want loyalty? But you offer nothing but ‘competitive pay.’
• Do you require creativity? But you cut off each new initiative with statements like ‘it doesn’t work like that for us.’

Companies that treat employees as a ‘cost’ have a perpetual problem with talent outflow. People come, do their thing and leave–because they feel no connection to their place of work. Because they realize that as soon as they are no longer ‘profitable,’ the company will have no qualms about replacing them.

And then the same companies lament about how difficult it is to find good people, that the young generation ‘doesn’t want to work,’ that employees ‘are not loyal.’ This is the easiest thing to do… Or maybe it’s just that nobody wants to be treated as a tool that is easy to replace?

Good companies know that investment in people always pays off. And not only in terms of results, but also stability, quality, and long-term growth. 

The best businesses are those that create loyal teams, and loyalty is built through respect, growth, and true appreciation.

The comment section had to add:

It is always curious, especially when we determine the cost of new recruitment and implementation vs. employee retention in the long run. So where is this optimization/cost cutting, if the former is even several times more expensive?

– Bartłomiej Garnuch, Commercial Manager at Menii

This is what we learned from neoliberalism and continue to learn – that the employee is a cost, and costs must be reduced. The only thing that matters is here and now, not some strategy or long-term perspective.

– Paweł Bronisław Ludwiczak, Legal Advisor at Kancelaria Radcy Prawnego Paweł Ludwiczak

Few companies can and calculate the ‘cost’ of losing leading employees. I myself have come across the statement that ‘We won’t invest in you because later you’ll come for a raise or leave for a better company.’ I am firmly convinced of the pettiness of the character of the person who said it to me at the time and of them having no idea how great goals can be achieved by an ‘investment-powered’ team.

– Marek Smelkowski, Group Commercial Director at Botanika Farm