Having a company culture of value is essential to the growth of the organization. Your employees are your richest asset, so why not show them that you value their contributions?
HR leaders often hear comments from employees that speak to their perceived value. Some comments you may have heard from employees include:
"I wasn't hired to do that. That is her/his job."
"Leadership doesn't value us. That's why we don't work as hard anymore."
"I work so hard every day. I'm very qualified. I love what I do. But my boss doesn't value my work. She/He thinks someone else is better suited for the job."
"I know we can't afford to get big salary increases or bonuses, but can't leadership do something to show their gratitude for us?"
"I don't feel like leadership appreciates how hard I work for this company!"
If you are an HR leader, chances are you have heard many of these quiet complaints from employees. While we cannot necessarily please every employee, we can work toward showing employees that they are valued in some way. Establishing an environment that values its team members is probably one of the most important ways we can transform an organization, or as some would say, create a cultural shift. It all begins with employee satisfaction. It is the responsibility of leadership to ensure all employees feel valued, no matter their role in the organization.
A valued employee is a satisfied team member. Once an individual has made the shift from employee to team member, they become part of the process, are able to adopt the organization's core values and mission and become ambassadors for the organization. They feel like they are part of the process and not just viewed as someone punching in and out on a clock, or as a worker on an assembly line.
Valued team members tend to be more productive. It's true — researchers from the University of Michigan found that while some organizations still push the tradition of bonus increases, it's "positive and virtuous practices" that make the real difference. Some of the simple methods of creating happier team members include:
• "Caring for, being interested in, and maintaining responsibility for colleagues as friends.
• Providing support for one another, including offering kindness and compassion when others are struggling.
• Avoiding blame and forgiving mistakes.
• Inspiring one another at work.
• Emphasizing the meaningfulness of the work.
• Treating one another with respect, gratitude, trust and integrity."
These simple six methods are often found in many organizations' core values. It is important, however, to conduct frequent pulse checks to ensure that leadership is actively and consistently living up to the core values. The important thing to remember is that not everyone is looking for a lot of money. While money and perks are nice and should be offered to fairly compensate employees for their work, what should be top of mind for all leaders is creating an environment of dignity, honor and respect — one that inspires individuals to desire more for themselves.
A culture of value is one that nurtures and develops its people. People leave relationships because there is a breakdown in its value perception and core values of respect, love and commitment to the other party. Organizations are the same way. Leaders have to invest more time and commitment into helping employees make the shift to team members. This goal is achieved by creating a culture that values people over the bottom line and places streamlined processes as a top priority.
