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    February Love and Employee Care is in the Air

    Posted on Feb. 20, 2023  /  Marketing Update  /   0

    February is such a fun time when people celebrate expressions of love with candy, flowers, and love messages.  We would also like to send you our own love message of appreciation for being a part of the SHRM Hawaii community!  In the weeks to come, you will notice more communication from SHRM Hawaii via our emails and our social media channels on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.  So, please follow us for the latest on upcoming educational webinars, programs, events, and Fun Fact Fridays. 
    In the meantime, I hope you enjoy our article dedicated to celebrating our employees by showing them how much we care.  As it turns out, employee care is a hot priority item according to a 2022 Gallup survey of over 15,000 full-time and part-time employees. The results show that “fewer than one in four U.S. employees feel strongly that their organization cares about their well-being –the lowest percentage in nearly a decade.”

    Prior to the pandemic, in 2014, the same percentage (25%) of employees strongly agreed that their employer cared about their well-being.  Did you know that during the pandemic in 2020, that number boosted to 49% as employers focused on helping team members adjust to the new world of quarantine and virtual work.  Unfortunately, today, the numbers have dipped lower than ever.

    Here are three back-to-basic practices that can help your employees know how much you care:

    Meet one-on-one with your employees:  Club Director, Oscar Harris Jr, at the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii Hale Pono Clubhouse in Ewa Beach, tries to stay ahead of issues before they bubble up by not only meeting with his team weekly, but also with each team member one-on-one.  He reports that the one-on-one meetings give the employee a chance to talk about what is most important to them. The results are stabilized morale, engagement, loyalty, and a growth mindset.  

    Acknowledge the whole person:  Remember the days when you were told to keep personal and work lives completely separate? “Keep work at work and home at home.”   Well, that can be difficult to do when it’s the same person, the same emotions, and the same mind navigating both worlds.  If an employee seems distracted or upset, lending an empathic listening ear can help to lift them up.  Tips to use the empathic listening style are:  

    • Probe with questions to help the person express themselves
    • Avoid giving advice unless invited to
    • Show that you care by nodding your head, practicing good eye contact, and giving your full attention which means no multi-tasking
    • Let the person talk through at least 80% of the conversation
    •  

    Provide options and promote choice:  Employees emerged out of the pandemic with revamped priorities and perspectives about their overall lives. Some people love being back to work in person, some people mourn the loss of a virtual lifestyle, and other people are on the fence about hybrid work.  Whichever situation your organization has proposed, your employees crave flexibility.  Give your employees options and the power to choose whenever it's feasible. It is one way to demonstrate that you care about their work-life priorities.  

    Finally, what practices do YOU appreciate that help you feel cared for? And, how can you apply those to your employees?  In this month of LOVE, remember to celebrate your employees with a little extra care!

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