I am always fascinated by workplace dynamics and how companies maximise the opportunities and success for their people and vice versa, how the people best represent the interests of the company they work for.
Using ChatGPT, I asked the simple question – ‘’What do people need to be successful in their roles?”
Back came the predictable answers I was expecting – “Technical skills”, “Soft skills”, “Education and training”, “Experience”, and “Motivation and work ethic”. As I read these answers, I became concerned that the answers concentrated on the individual characteristics that an employee brings to the company were noted, but a few key organisational ingredients hadn’t been mentioned. Hold on!! Here they come…whew! ’Supportive work environment’ and ‘Recognition and feedback’ were finally referenced.
I must hand it to the AI machine; it saved the best two for last. A quote attributed to Sir Richard Branson further illustrates this point when he said to “create the kind of workplace and company culture that will attract great talent. If you hire brilliant people, they will make work feel more like play.” From my experiences both as an employee and with the clients I have had the honour of supporting, it’s companies that operate in a genuine, feedback based, supportive work environment that are the most engaged and revered.
In the workplace it should never be underestimated just how smart, switched on and inherently intuitive people are. They will immediately react when their experience in the workplace isn’t quite right. Companies just can’t take feedback for granted, pay it lip service and/or write fancy processes without backing this up with action. The most successful teams and companies, time and time again, are the ones that are the most engaged.
Managers play a key role here, both in delivering information about company performance and providing feedback (both good and bad) in relation to performance. How many times have regular one-to-one meetings been delayed or worse yet, cancelled because something else ‘more important’ has gotten in the way. The impact and messaging here is dangerous, it doesn’t say that people are the lifeblood of the organisation they work for. It sends the opposite message, with the potential result of people feeling devalued and disengaged.
Some simple rules to improve engagement for managers:
- Set aside time on a very regular basis (weekly ideally) to catch up and check in with their team members.
- Take the time to plan for these meetings. Sounds simple but a 1:1 meeting is not just about the obvious pleasantries asking the question of ‘how are you doing?’ There are the all-important work elements that need to be covered.
- Block out all distractions during these meetings. Nothing sends a stronger message that someone is unimportant when they come second to an SMS or email. Ditch the phone and laptop…. You will be amazed how much more productive and fulfilling these meetings can be.
- Listen to hear and not to speak. This advice has been dispensed time and time again but what people really want is to be heard. It is about your team and not about you. Their progress, their triumphs, their hurdles, and their experiences require priority.
- Recognise and celebrate the wins – both great and small. Nothing sends a message of ‘my manager understands me and what I do’ more when taking the time to acknowledge progress and positive moments at work.
And lastly, acknowledge the areas for improvement. Feedback that needs to be given which may require reflection is not a negative, it is in fact a gift. The only way anyone can truly improve is if they are ready to receive feedback to assist their job performance if it is falling short of expectations.
In many cases, an organisation can teach and orient people towards the performance it wants…the supportive work environment and a recognition-based feedback culture is much tougher to build. Where effort is put in, the results and engagement will follow.