Listen Up—Celebrate Your Employees
March 7, this coming Friday, is Employee Appreciation Day. This often brings to mind those tangible things that employers and managers give out as tokens of gratitude.
We are experiencing a great deal of turmoil in the world today—turmoil that affects the workplace and employees. Consider the return-to-work mandates that have been announced by many large companies. Workers are viewing them as invisible pay cuts.
It’s a good time to talk about those intangible things that tell employees they are appreciated. Let’s start by looking at the economic and tangible value workers who are allowed to work-from-home, even two or three days a week, place on that benefit.
Less commuting time and transit costs
Lower housing costs because they can live farther away
Reduced childcare costs for young parents
American workers value working from home at an estimated 8 to 15 percent of pay, depending on their circumstances. And the cost to the employer? Nothing, at least nothing that shows up on pay stubs.
Companies implementing office mandates cite improved performance, innovation and collaboration as reasons for the decision. Yet, a recent Gallup poll found a majority of workers preferring hybrid work say it reduces burnout and improves productivity. And, many companies find ways to foster innovation and collaboration in hybrid and remote working models. Anybody listening?
It’s no surprise that leaders show their appreciation by creating a positive culture and living that culture through their actions. One fool-proof action—take the time to listen to employees. Listening is probably the most misunderstood communication process we use.
We spend time in school learning how to read and write but little time on how to listen. The US Department of Labor estimates that of the total time spent in communication, 55 percent is devoted to listening. So, listening is certainly a skill that we can all improve on.
If employees are resisting return-to-work mandates, savvy employers would do well to listen to their reasons for wanting to work from home, even on a part time basis. Then act on and respond to their feedback.
Savvy leaders who want to show they appreciate their employees will sharpen their listening skills through active listening where they:
Listen to learn—be interested in what the other person is saying and show it.
Seek understanding—listen to the words and ask questions to clarify what you hear.
Pay attention to non-verbal cues—watch body language and tone of voice.
A great resource to help is our book, The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Since we think listening is such an important skill, we devoted an entire chapter to it, so “Listen Up!”