Because there are so many great articles on employee engagement and creating a culture of appreciation in the workplace, I want to share the best of these resources with you. Here are my favorites from this week. You’ll find some of my thoughts on these gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) and I would like to hear your comments too.
7 Things Every Employee Wants in a Boss by Steve Palmer
(NewsOk.com) “It isn’t just business, it’s personal. We tend to forget that employees have lives outside of work and that personal challenges can impact job performance. When expectations aren’t being met, find out the root cause of the issue and show genuine empathy when personal situations arise. When possible, allow employees time to get personal matters under control. Recent findings suggest that managers capable of demonstrating empathy and compassion are more effective leaders. Putting people first can only happen when we remember that they are people, first.”
My Thoughts: Every one of these seven things involve little or no money. Paying attention to the specific needs of your employees goes a long way in creating an emotionally connected culture.
The Three Fundamental Leadership Traits That Support Enduring Organizations by Louis Efron
(Forbes) “Trust is the bedrock of leadership and of healthy organizational cultures. If employees don’t trust you, they will not respect you and you will never get them to give you their all. They will simply do the minimum to retain their job. This type of behavior does not drive the high performance results organizations desire.”
My Thoughts: In my THANKS program, the first step to creating a culture of appreciation is to build a foundation of TRUST. Without it, nothing else matters.
14% Of Zappos Staff Quits (Which Is Just Fine For Employee Engagement) by George Jacob
(Business 2 Community) “Organizational alignment and employee engagement can come with difficult decisions—because people are not universal-fit cogs in the corporate machine. They each come with different interests, comfort zones, and attitudes toward change. What some find exciting will terrify others.”
My thoughts: I’ve toured the Zappos facility and it is truly an amazing culture. If a company as culture-centered as Zappos can lose 14% of their team and consider it a positive move, why are you holding onto employees who are never going to be a good fit for your workplace?
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Lisa Ryan, creator of Grategy® is a gratitude expert, professional speaker and bestselling author. For more information contact (216) 225-8027. For information on Grategy® programs please visit http://www.grategy.com. Follow on Twitter: @Grategy