Some of the most successful companies with the most dedicated employees almost always put their staff first. Why?
They’ve realized happy employees treat customers better, subsequently improving customer service levels and sales at the organization, and there’s data to back this up.
Studies show that employees who feel their co-workers and managers genuinely care, perform better. It’s simple — if you show them love, they’ll show it right back! The more employees know they have support from the organization and management, the more they will support the organization, and the more profitable it will become.
Steps to help create an emotional culture
A lot of employers don’t take the time to stop and say happy birthday, congratulate an employee on their spouse’s promotion, send a care package when an employee is home sick, or send flowers to their house when a family member is having surgery. The study shows that these things matter.
Creating an “emotional” workplace culture increases productivity. Here are a few ways to achieve that:
- Empathize with staff. I believe the best managers and leaders have empathy for their teams and staff. They understand that an employee can feel pressure without understanding the end goal, and make it a point to walk them through the process and help them understand.
- Be compassionate: Have compassion for one another and try to understand what others are going through. Realize events outside of the office may affect someone at work — planning a wedding, death of a family member, having a child, etc. These are all stressful events. Ask staff if they need help. Consider reorganizing tasks on his/her team. Demonstrate genuine care and concern. It’s a great feeling to feel cared for.
- Recognize top employees. Although it may not be financially possible to give every employee a gift, reward high performing employees for their successes in some way is important. Whether it’s writing a personalized thank you card or splurging on a gift, pin point employees to show gratitude. Don’t forget the power of public recognition; it goes a long way to improve engagement and morale.
- Get to know them on a personal level. Understand what motivates each employee — their goals and fears. Listen to their feedback and implement new initiatives within budgetary constraints. Understand small rewards can go a long way if they are motivators for that employee, and take an interest in employees’ opinions.
- Invest in them. Most employees want to continue to develop their skills while learning new ones. Offering training sessions and having employees attend webinars and conferences will feed their desire to learn while augmenting their skill sets. At the same time, push employees to achieve their potential. Trusting them with new and challenging tasks demonstrates confidence in their abilities and the new skills they have acquired.
- Get employees involved. Employees want to know that they are more than just a number and that their thoughts and opinions matter. Involving staff in important decisions not only demonstrates that their opinion is valued, but also allows them to evolve as a professional. To do this, create a staff council to discuss company best practices, or bring lower level employees into management meetings to expose them to discussions involving the future of the company.
Show you care about employees, and they will care in return Showing the love will increase productivity, performance and profits, and decrease turnover (or attrition).