Debby Routt is Chief People Officer at Marathon Health.
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I often think back to a story I heard as a kid about when NASA first drew a line in the sand and said it was going to put a man on the moon.
One of the things NASA did was connect everyone’s role to the mission. For instance, you could walk up to a janitor and ask, “What’s your role in the organization?” and the janitor would say something like, “I’m here to help NASA put a man on the moon.”
Despite incredible challenges, people often wonder how NASA accomplished such an amazing feat so quickly. Well, I believe it was the fact that everyone in the organization had their eye on the ball. They were all connected to the mission, and they understood how their role contributed to the bigger picture. We all know how the story ends — with a massive worldwide celebration.
I revisit this story all the time when I think about creating workplace culture. As human resource leaders, we often look for some magic solution or the latest trend, but it’s really much simpler. When we communicate clearly with employees and ensure they feel a meaningful connection to their supervisor and the organization, incredible things start to happen — and we get to celebrate.
Communication Drives Culture
As human resource (HR) leaders, it’s important we foster a culture around compassion, respect, exceptional service and teamwork. Of course, we can’t have any of these things unless people communicate appropriately with one another; it’s just not going to work.
We need to continuously assess our organizations and ensure we communicate in different ways, so we reach all employees. It’s especially important in this new virtual world, and we can’t assume what resonated before will work in a virtual or hybrid work setting.
I’ve heard about companies spending ridiculous amounts of money to put on these elaborate town halls with fancy production and lighting. Guess what? They often fall flat. Employees simply want the message, not a bunch of fanfare.
When we communicate, whether about a cultural initiative or a company policy, we have to explain the “why” and set it up in a very intentional manner.
I always start by communicating big issues with our leadership team. I let them know what’s coming, the reasons why and the timing of the next steps. It gives managers the opportunity to seek out answers to their own questions, so they can be the conduit between the organization and our employees.
Connect Your Employees
When we talk about how connection fits in with company culture, we need to make sure employees don’t just feel connected to their supervisor or teammates, but also to the organization.
Employees often leave companies because of supervisors, so we have to prepare ourselves for the fact that supervisors frequently change. There should be a strong feeling of connectivity back to the company — back to the mothership, so to speak. Otherwise, employees may start looking for another job if their boss suddenly leaves or moves on to a new role.
HR leaders also need to understand that we’re still in the early stages of working remotely, but as time goes on, the newness of working from home will start to fade for some employees. We need to be highly intentional about connecting with employees regularly, via one-on-one check-ins and team meetings, and in a variety of different ways. Otherwise, it may lead to turnover for many organizations.
Unless we’re deliberate about intentionally connecting, I think we’re missing something.
Celebrate The Wins, Big And Small
We’re all busy, and we often forget to celebrate the wins. Or we wait to celebrate only the big things, like getting the top account or opening a new store. I think leaders on the front lines need to really focus on celebrating the little victories along the way, too, and ensure they spread the celebration around to all employees.
When we talk about celebration, it doesn’t always have to come in the form of a promotion or merit increase, but it must be sincere and it often comes best from the employee’s direct manager. Simply mailing a card to their house that says, “Hey, thanks! You really made a difference in this particular situation,” can feel more personable than an email or a shoutout on Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Make sure you know how your team members like to be celebrated. I have folks on my team who would faint if I ever recognized them in front of the whole group. There are some people who prefer to receive praise privately. Make sure you don’t forget those folks.
As HR leaders, whether intentionally or not, we’re ultimately responsible for driving the culture of our organizations. We set the tone, and we need to set the expectations up front that outline how we communicate, connect with employees and celebrate the wins — even if we’re not landing on the moon.
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