Employees first, customers second and shareholders third? Towards a modern HR philosophy

Purpose The purpose of this research paper is to place an emphasis on the philosophy of “employees first, customers second, and shareholders third”. Design/methodology/approach It outlines the advantages of this philosophy and illustrates with examples of global companies including Google, Virgin, Alibaba, Facebook, LinkedIn, FedEx Corporation, Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, and Costco. Findings It concludes to treat your employees as assets and convert them into your brand ambassadors to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Practical implications These strategies can be applied in any industry and in any size of organization. Social implications The social implications of this research suggests that leaders can achieve organizational excellence and effectiveness by adopting these strategies. Originality/value It substantiates that employees are the true value creators for any organization. It explores soft leadership and elaborates the changing mindsets of the employees globally. It enlightens to treat people as people and partners, not as workers.