Today’s blog post is a special Valentine’s week edition. In honor of that, today I’m going to talk about love in the workplace. Now, wait! This is not what you’re thinking. There’s no need to go running to human resources just yet…..
What I’m really talking about is showing your employees love. We spend so much time in the workplace, would it not be better for everyone if they felt that they were cared for and loved—and returned that love? What a great way to bring employee engagement into your business.
Here are six ways that you can show the love.
- Get to know your employees. Empathize with your employees. Both in their day to day jobs and also in their lives outside of work.
- Recognize talent and performance. When people excel, recognize them. Show appreciation and gratitude and encourage them. Be intentional about this. Make it part of your daily tasks to make sure that you allocate the time to do this continually and consistently.
- Show up for your employees. Don’t hide behind your door. Take it a step beyond open door policies, be that person that they can go to when they need help both on the job and in their personal lives.
- Be present when they come to you. Put down the cell phone. Look away from the email. And most of all, listen to what they have to say.
- Help your employees grow. Provide them with developmental opportunities. This can be a traditional training class of course, but more importantly make sure you’re giving them exposure and experiences that will truly help them grow. This exposure is a very effective part of leadership development.
- Encourage their interests. Allow them the opportunity to pursue those things that they are passionate about, both on the job and off it. Ask them about these things and engage in a dialogue with them.
Doing these things and showing your employees the love will help create a workplace that you can be proud of. A workplace that you personally look forward to coming to every day.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wade