Are Employees an Expense or an Asset? The Answer May Surprise You Resource Management

is an employee an asset

The individual makeup of each employee remains impossible to replicate. No doubt, dedicated patrons, forward-thinking executives, and delivering top-notch products and services contribute to a company’s achievements. However, the loyal workforce, including your employees, frequently stands as a company’s most valuable asset rather than a Liability.

It ignites boundless energy and enthusiasm when we engage in tasks driven by this intrinsic passion.

  1. Health insurance, dental plans, sick days, paid vacations, retirement plans, tuition reimbursements and other benefits all add up to a major employer expense.
  2. Instead of seeing employees as a problem, these leaders see them as a valuable resource.
  3. That’s a financial benefit that businesses can’t get any other way, and it’s the way to outperform your competition.
  4. On the other hand, great leaders see employees as valuable assets.

The outcomes differ among companies — for some it’s sales growth, for others it’s lives saved — but those outcomes are always guided by the purpose of the organization. Their strategy deliberately links worker engagement to team performance to company purpose to business outcomes. I think one of the problems is the lack of leadership training in business schools. Most graduate and undergraduate students take multiple courses in accounting but they may only attend one or two lectures on leadership. The result is we are sending young managers to the workplace with a belief that numbers are more important than people. By accounting rules, the cost of workers is treated as an expense on the income statement.

People also trust companies more when they see real people working there. The true value of employee assets cannot be standardized with a simple, flat ratio. Mark contributions as unhelpful if you find them irrelevant or not valuable to the article.

Utilities, Maintenance, Rent or Mortgage Costs and Insurance

Employees are considered valuable assets for a company rather than liabilities because they are pivotal in driving purpose, motivation, and performance within the organization. Some managers treat their employees as just an expense or liability, something to cut down on to save money. This is because, in accounting, employees are seen as a cost, just like buying materials or equipment.

is an employee an asset

Lost in this global enterprise risk management movement are the recognition, identification, and treatment of human capital as an asset worthy of protection. When leadership of one team discovered that many people felt they weren’t doing what they do best every day, it set aside an hour a week to focus on a topic of employees‘ choosing. Four years later, the group had produced multiple patents, several product refreshes, and a much-enhanced skill set. If you think of employees as an asset, as I do, you treat them differently. You understand the importance of keeping them happy and operating at peak performance.

Those companies created assets out of employees by very intentionally linking employee engagement to business outcomes. The shift from viewing employees as assets to seeing them as partners or stakeholders requires a change in organizational culture and management practices. It calls for a more employee-centric approach where employees are empowered, their voices are heard, and their contributions are valued. Often, within the business environment, we hear the phrase „employees are our greatest asset.“ However, is this truly an accurate depiction of the dynamic relationship between employees and employers? In this article I will challenge this traditional view, taking a more nuanced approach to analyze the complexities of the employee-employer relationship.

Engaged employees think of more efficient ways to work, find opportunities to be more productive, generate positive energy on their teams and find new ways to delight customers. That’s a financial benefit that businesses can’t get any other way, and it’s the way to outperform your competition. Employee turnover is costly in terms of valuable resources, but it can also affect morale in both current employees and clients. Employees may begin to question the quality of the workplace environment, as well as their own prospects for employment longevity. When clients see new faces too often, they may lose that personal connection with your staff and, naturally, may come to wonder why your company cannot seem to retain its employees. All of this can have a remarkably detrimental effect on day-to-day business operations.

Value your employees and staff, and you can increase your company’s profitability. Companies that provide satisfying pay, benefits, personal time off and perks are on the right track. Take a moment to reference online articles about companies with impressive benefits. These organizations go above and beyond in terms of taking care of their staff.

Enabling Product and Service Delivery:

In fact, personnel expense is one of the highest costs a company incurs. Many managers see this sizable cost every month and conclude that people are expensive. By seeing people as a costly expense, these managers think that a quick way to more profits is by reducing people or salaries. They look at employees as an expense or a problem that must be reduced or eliminated.

is an employee an asset

Health insurance, dental plans, sick days, paid vacations, retirement plans, tuition reimbursements and other benefits all add up to a major employer expense. Often, the value of a benefits package can exceed an employee’s salary. Nevertheless, an attractive benefits package may be necessary to attract experienced, high-quality personnel, who in some cases have their choice of jobs. See how the values https://www.quick-bookkeeping.net/tax-implications-of-equity/ of a service company can help employees engage customers — instead of relying only on a prescribed protocol. Go to any business‘ website and you’ll probably find a career page that says, „Employees are our greatest asset.“ But the truth is, people are one of the largest expenses in any organization. Have you worked for a manager who treated you like an expense or a problem that needed to be reduced?

Assets are resources controlled by an organization from which economic benefits are expected to flow to the enterprise. The chief function of an asset, either used individually or in combination with other assets, is to generate current and future cash flows to meet the needs of the organization and corporate stakeholders. The net connecting ecwid with xero value of an employee to an employer is not easily calculable, except in some simple cases. Figuring into this key performance indicators formula are any mistakes, delays or breakages caused by the employee and what they cost the employer. Whatever number is ultimately arrived at, it will reflect only an individual’s partial worth.

Social Security and Other Expenses Mandated by Law

In accounting terms, assets are company resources which have future economic value. Instead of seeing employees as a problem, these leaders see them as a valuable resource. They know that people have the capability to grow sales, satisfy customers, improve processes, innovate products, and do countless other things that add money to both the top and bottom line. As a CEO, I see daily examples of this in my business, Peak Demand. Your people are your biggest resource and can affect public perception of your brand. For example, as a frequent traveler, I specifically choose Southwest Airlines because of the happy, engaged and efficient employees.

Are people a Resource or an Asset?

Employees are not owned by the company, nor can they be bought or sold. Employees are individuals with their own ambitions, desires, and motivations. They bring a unique set of skills, knowledge, and perspectives that contribute to the organization’s growth and innovation. But turning employees into assets requires investment in their engagement, as is the case with any other resource that generates profit. That investment can be maximized if it’s tied to business outcomes by way of performance and purpose. Ultimately, profit indicates the success of an engagement strategy.