Business isn’t a static entity. It moves and evolves and advances to better meet the demand it’s designed to supply.

Some aspects of business change at a greater rate than others; for example, technology has advanced exponentially in the last ten years and will, more than likely, continue at the same velocity.

Other shifts are a bit more like trying to boil the ocean; it can only be done one pan at a time to make a difference, attempting to change the mass is a never-ending task.

One aspect of business evolution that has had a large turning circle but is building moment is the value of people versus cash.

I’m sure that most of us will have heard of, or even worked for, some horror company that would proudly boasts about its workforce as a commodity to be sweated like anything else on the balance sheet.

This, however, is only found by exception and is definitely considered a Jurassic way of working.

The principle behind the mindset is pretty sound though right? Most companies are in the business of making money and if it doesn’t make money then it can’t pay its workforce so in a roundabout way it is caring for its people first. Well, yes but at what cost?

There is now a well-established school of thought amongst many businesses which says that focus, time and investment should be placed on people and the development of the right behaviours over delivering the short-term profit and objectives.

The old saying that you should ‘make hay whilst the sun shines’ no longer applies and the business world is now in favour of tending your own garden for a blossoming future.

So where has this ethos come from? In short, it’s come from the wave of new entrepreneurs that bring a new energy to employee satisfaction and creating a more appealing working environment.

This wave is not restricted to the tech and social media start-ups but is also prevalent amongst new businesses across a variety of industries.

Proper is a shining example of how to treat people with a significant amount of time and money invested in training and general wellness.

So when you’re planning your next budget consider how you can build people and behaviours and the rest of your business objectives will be the natural fruits of this labour.