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Posted by on Nov 23, 2012 in Engagement, Featured, Inspirational, Leadership, Return On Morale, Special Series, Winning Through Engagement | 12 comments

Employee Engagement? Let Them Know You CARE

The_Spoken_Word__by_Double_Duece_700x200

 

It all starts with CARE. Communicate, Appreciate, Respect, Encourage. This is for everyone. Not just CEO’s and management. All employees.

Communicate. Don’t hesitate. Reach out your hand. Introduce yourself. Say Hi. To everyone. Wear nametags. Learn all or as many names of employees as possible. Everyone loves to be addressed by their name. Smile. A simple smile can go a long way at work.

Share the company vision with all employees. People respond better and put forth better effort when they feel “A Part Of” instead of “Apart From”

Most important – listen. You can’t do this enough. Ask questions and Listen. Thoroughly. Try to understand rather than be understood. You will be amazed how much this means to people.

“Perhaps the most important thing we give each other is our attention” Rachel Naomi Remen

Appreciate. All of the employees. Acknowledge them and the job they are doing. Say thank you. A lot. Don’t look for mistakes, look for a job well done. Recognition is key to employee morale. Recognize and reward accomplishments. Publicly.

“Catch them doing something right” Ken Blanchard

Respect. Show respect for your fellow employees. All of them. From the CEO all the way down the ladder. Treat the janitor the same way you would treat the big dogs. Everyone needs and deserves to be respected.
Encourage. Always encourage others. We all need encouragement. Be supportive and lend a hand when you can. Work together. Teamwork is essential to a successful organization.

“Abilities wither under criticism, but blossom under encouragement” Dale Carnegie

Practice gratitude and humility in all you do. This goes a long way. Especially at work.

In other words, Be nice to people. It is contagious. It’s not that hard. Really. When you just show you care about others, amazing things can happen.

One last thing for CEO’s and management. If you want your employees to be more engaged at work, then it’s up to you to engage with them.
When you care about your employees, they will care more about their job and the company they work for. Let them know you care.

“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”

 

Connect with Al

Al is the founder and chief care officer for The CARE Movement. Improving morale at work and home. Speaker, Student, Messenger of CARE: Communicate, Appreciate, Respect, Encourage. Al’s daily goal is to Inspire and Influence Positive Change.
Connect with Al on Twitter: @PASmithJr.

Art by  Double Duece

Al Smith (2 Posts)


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  • http://www.thecaremovement.com Al Smith

    Thanks Ted and Shawn. Really appreciate you allowing me to contribute with a little CARE.

    Your series on Employee Engagement has been fantastic. Now, lets get some people commenting. Ha.

    Take CARE.

    Al

    • http://www.powerbd.com Doug Jones

      Al, there’s a need to heed your common-sense message from the halls of Congress to the halls of every corporation, school, and home world-wide. Keep pushing to bring your words to life…you’re my hero!

  • https://www.facebook.com/EveryThingCreative Elizabeth Thomas

    Great post. Great Message, especially at this time of “Thanksgiving.” If more people simply put Al’s message into action in the workplace, think what a different world this would be!

    I C.A.R.E. Thanks, Al, and thanks Switch & Shift.

    I recommend a forward of this post to any and every C-suite in America!

  • http://www.moving-messages.com Margy Bresslour

    Communicate, Appreciate, Respect, Encourage are four little words that have a huge impact. Al, I love that you are someone who lives the words you speak. I look forward to the day when more people take action and CARE. Thank you for a wonderful post.

  • http://www.BuildaBetterWorkforce.com Michael J Stone

    Lots of great points. Sometimes little things go a long way. I like the name tag idea. I once worked in the, somewhat removed sales department of a 50 employee company and for months I struggled with the names of half the people that worked there.

    I would add one thought though. I would tie communications to purpose and client. Make the company objectives and client goals part of regular discussions. Ask about client success stories, find out about client struggles and potential opportunities.

    Engagement alone is not the answer.

    Sometimes we focus on engagement so much that we forget that unless we are fully engaged in the right activities, company objectives will not be met.

  • http://www.c-leveled.com AnnaRegina

    It is amazing how much your outlook and the outlook of those around you can shift when you think of yourself and others as a “part of” something. Employees need to feel empowered. When they feel empowered and respected, they will work better, harder and smarter.

    • http://www.thecaremovement.com Al Smith

      Thank you so much Annie. I couldn’t agree more with your comment. I checked out “C-Leveled” and really like what you are doing.

      Love to connect further. I know I could learn a lot from you and your fine organization. Following you on twitter now, too.

      Thanks again and take CARE.

      Al

  • http://pioneeroutfitters.com Amber-Lee (@AlaskaChickBlog)

    Hi Al! Happy and Blessed holidays to you and yours… Have a very merry and very safe season!

    I got sucked into my own busy void for a while and lost you, but coming here… was like coming home into warm and welcoming arms.

    Thank you.

  • http://Pugtato.com Elisabeth

    Excellent post. The best managers I have ever worked for use these strategies- it is those intangibles that make teams successful and that make it difficult to replicate just by doing “the best practice” routine. BRAVO!

  • http://www.cube214.com Anil

    Al – Simple yet elegant message. Thanks for sharing it.

  • http://Lucille-ossai.blogspot.com Lucille Ossai

    Hello Al,

    Nice post, simple but powerful.

    As a communications advocate, I am glad that communication is part of the CARE strategy you are championing. I cannot stress enough how effective communications impact the organisation and translate to positive results including higher employee morale and trust, (and by extension, commitment), and overall organisational effectiveness. True communications actually encompass your C.A.R.E attributes. How interesting is that? :)

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Bev Brown

    Being humble! This alone is very powerful. Try it you will like it!