Written by: Bridget Richard, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Stop treating employees as just a number. Considering how global the economy is, we are living in a truly interesting but tough time where budgets are being slashed daily, and employees are continuously being asked to do more with less.
With this, we see an increase in stress, an increase in work hours, and an increase in employee burnout. And this is just the work environment. This hasn't even begun to touch on the fact that we're starting to see other areas of life that we as human beings are having to deal with on any given day. Because of this time and change, culture has become such a critical piece to building a thriving team. In the past, what we saw was that salary was the single determinant that made people's work experience a joyous one. Nowadays, salary alone isn't enough to keep employees motivated. People need to feel inspired on a daily basis.
Many employers are starting to see that employee burnout and job satisfaction are what are attributing to high turnover rates, and low employee morale.
It's important to realize that when you have a team behind you that get to operate within their element and their strengths, they will begin to lock into something greater. They will begin to do more for the company, even things that they don't necessarily get paid to do because they want to do it.
Today, we tend to just throw money at problems and hope it goes away. At issues of productivity, for instance; money may make things easier by automating things, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it helps one to love one's job experience that much easier. We see often, nowadays, there are plenty of people that make plenty of money. Yet, they come home feeling stressed and drained at the end of the day. A lot of them have felt burnt out or unappreciated. What good is that in the workplace?
One thing I like to often stress to employers is that they have an opportunity as leaders of teams, companies, and organizations to build a culture that is rooted in truly acknowledging, activating and tapping into employees’ passions and what drives them. Infrastructures can be built to help employees win; and not win just in the sense of getting a promotion or getting a raise or making enough money. But in the sense that they can win by using their passions, experience, skills, strengths to be able to do more for the company because they want to
it is time that employers start recognizing that employees have more than 9 – 5. They have obligations and goals and dreams beyond the workplace.
Employers have to realize that they have an opportunity to rethink how industries recruit and engage employees. Not every employee is incentive based. Not every employee is competitive. But how do we drive employees to want to do more and be more and dream more?
It's important to remember that it is no longer one size fits all. There is no one solution that will take care of all of this. There isn’t something that can be implemented overnight that can cause this change. This is something that needs to be identified, monitored, implemented, and maintained. There's a very human element to work and business, and it often gets overlooked because today's society is so high pressured.
We need to start acknowledging that before being employees and consumers we are people at heart. We are people who want to be valued, who want to be understood, and who want to have a voice.
Many industries are driven to win in the marketplace but before that can happen, we must first make strides in the workplace.
Despite all the technological advances, consumers and customers all rely on word of mouth. It is still the biggest form of marketing across all industries. Customers only come to love a company where employees love it first. Unfortunately, what we have seen is, in many corporate settings, a job just becomes a paycheck. Work becomes unenjoyable and employee burnout becomes inevitable.
Corporate management should not be seen as the big man stepping on the little guy, but as a driving force that can boost employee morale, productivity, and can pioneer innovative ideas that can relate positively with customers and give employees a voice. Employees are both the asset and the ambassador of a brand. Utilize them! It is sometimes easy to forget that they are individuals and more than just numbers on a payroll. They are people with unique thoughts and opinions, and they may even be elemental to structuring better productivity for the company.
This is why empathy is such an important part of leadership. Recent studies have shown that 70% of employees are willing to work overtime in a more empathetic workplace. This means things like having management that is willing to listen and understand difficulties employees are faced with which, in turn, encourages a healthy work environment. This would build a sense of trust between an employer and employees, which can help them feel encouraged to share any new ideas that can improve process flows or bring attention to problems.
Good employees sometimes leave jobs to seek development opportunities elsewhere. Work has to be done. Bosses expect employees to produce the same quality of work on a daily basis; however, it is important for employees to remember that the employer-employee relationship should be mutually beneficial and it should add quality not only to the company, but to employees as well. Employers need to create an environment that sufficiently challenges employees. This would mean things like identifying strengths and interests and providing training professional training, if possible. This can also create opportunities that can contribute to personal career goals an employee may have. It's important to remember that a job built on passion and satisfaction can become an exciting role that can increase retention and productivity.
Build a healthy workplace. The workplace is a second home where you spend the most amount of time. It should be one that makes you feel good about yourself. The last thing any employee wants is to work in a toxic environment that can heighten stress levels and feel completely draining. Disgruntled employees can also cause problems if they share trade secrets with competitors, or they can tarnish a company's reputation. A high turnover rate is a wasted investment of time of energy and money in the process of hiring, training, and retaining those new recruits.
This is why it is so crucial to build a positive work environment where employees feel recognized and acknowledged for their accomplishments; and where rules are not overly rigid. Having leaders that can clearly communicate expectations and trust are fundamental in the development of good teamwork which can yield better performances for both employers, employees, and the company. It's time to stop thinking outdated and that everyone is replaceable. It is time for employers to recognize that they need to do more to get more. Stop throwing money and hope things will get better or work themselves out. Start investing money. Start investing time. Start investing energy into the people that make your life that much better.
Bridget Richard, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Bridget Richard, MA, LISW-S is a Social Worker and Life Coach with 20+ years of experience in the field of mental health. In her work, she is passionate about helping with women to conquer feelings of anxiety and depression caused by burnout. She helps her clients move from being too frustrated and overwhelmed to enjoy life to focused, empowered, and re-energized. Bridget enjoys bringing her message of self-love and determination to virtual and live venues everywhere. She has been featured in the Women's Journal as a "Person You Want to Know" and regularly contributes to Thrive, Medium, and Brainz Magazine. To learn more about working with Bridget schedule your free discovery call at https://calendly.com/bridgetsrichard/freeconsult.
