In a conversation I had with fellow Gen-X team members, we almost had a unanimous confusion about why it takes so much to nurture the new breed of employees at this point. Back then, we were pre-wired to do what our job entails us to do, not so much with a tap at the back, but as long as we get our salaries, we were okay anyway.
But right now, where the work population of millennials and upcoming GenZ employees are dominant, in challenging times where HR and the management has to re-engineer all people-related aspects from how one is recruited to performance management, to movements, to discipline, to exits, and most especially engagement and retention, it is an opportune time to go back to basics and think if we are really addressing the needs of the work population.
I almost forgot that on top of that, you have to be mentally healthy to deal with all of these and make sure that everyone else is, too. How ever we look at things, whoever we serve, I tend to go back to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Here’s why.
First, you have to satisfy the basic needs in order to be able to satisfy the psychological needs and then the self-fulfillment needs. And this goes all across generations and across events. Regardless, we all have needs we need to satiate.
In a company that I was working for where attrition was something we were closely looking into as one of HR’s key result areas, there was a murmur of having not enough compensation and benefits as the reason why people were leaving. As I knew we just had a company-wide salary increase a few months back, I knew there was something more than just salary issues. I then conducted a company-wide Climate Survey to deep dive on these issues.
The result? Compensation and Benefits happen to be on the bottom of the barrel of issues. The topmost issue was “Involvement and Belongingness”. Comments such as the following surfaced on the results:
“It was my birthday and my boss failed to greet me”;
“I wasn’t given enough freedom to pitch in on departmental decisions”,
“I feel like my efforts are not being acknowledged”.
“One of my officemates had her last day at work and nobody cared to bid her farewell.”
My grandfather would have rolled in his grave, reading at these comments. However, come to think of it, these comments do make sense. Little things that go unattended will have deeper impact in the long run. I can just imagine what other comments there would be during this time of pandemic.
Based on the survey results, we can deduce that people’s basic needs and safety needs, according to Maslow were already met (probably because of the recent salary increase). And because these bottom needs were already met, the people in the organization were needing for something more than just the basic—and that is to feel like they belong and they were being cared for (love/belongingness/involvement).
And just to channel Maslow’s needs of more than the lower levels, here are some leadership action plans we reminded to our team members, and most especially our leadership team in order to address a higher need these team members were obviously looking for:
- Treat employees right.
Show people that you care for them more than what they can offer 8-5 or whatever shift they are from. It doesn’t have to be much and you don’t have to be overly attentive or too caring to show people that you value them. For example, if your subordinate or officemate has a a loved one who was tested positive for COVID-19 or was recently a death victim of the said virus, pick up that phone you are paying gazillions for, and use it to call that officemate. Better yet, do not wait for anything to happen before you show that you care. No amount of flowers or cards or money can compare to that sincerity in your voice and the effort that you made to check if he/she is okay. Employees will never forget that gesture.
Remember, true leadership starts with empathy.
- Respect begets respect.
If you feel frustrated with people coming in late (especially during video conferences when they are just at the comfort of their homes) because they don’t respect your time, then make sure that you are on time yourself and respect their time, too.
You cannot demand from someone something that has been denied to them.
For example, if someone calls in sick, try not to call the person every now and then to talk about work. Instead, call to check how they are doing and if they are feeling better. While there are times that you really need to call them about work, be apologetic and try to do it as less as often.
Also, if you approved a Work from Home Setup, try to change your mindset from an attendance-based to an output-based monitoring of work.
When employees feel that their personal time is not respected, whatever else you do to build relationships will be deemed as superficial.
- Put the “We” in Action.
In leadership seminars, it was always taught that we shall always use “We” when talking about goals, etc. However, talk is cheap and it means nothing if you don’t put it into action. Social distancing is a must nowadays but it’s not a reason to not connect with your team. Open your communication lines, take at least 1 hour per day to talk with your team or maybe lunch or milk tea delivered to them when a departmental goal is achieved. Get to know your team members personally, like the names of their partners, pets, etc.
They say that it is lonely at the top. Well, I daresay, come down and mingle with those at the bottom. It’s much fun, and it creates a bond that will shape camaraderie and loyalty.
Leadership is not about position or title. It is action and example.
- Command Responsibility.
One of the biases during performance evaluation is the recency effect. When you hear something bad recently said about an employee, tendency is you focus on this recent news and forget about everything good about the employee. Do not jump in right away. Try to get the facts straight and reflect, “Did you do everything you could to support this employee or teach this employee?”
A leader is as good as each of his/her team member. If one is weak, instead of pointing a finger to your team member, look at all the other 4 fingers pointing at you and reflect on where you went wrong and act on it.
- Give them air.
Breathing on someone’s neck all the time is very frustrating. You hire people because they can bring something to the table and help you. Give them challenges and responsibilities, encourage them to come up with ideas, share it and empower them to come up with so.
Employees who feel they are trusted are empowered and most empowered team members will try very hard not to let you down or lose the trust you gave to them.
- Give equal treatment.
For those with more than one team member, make sure that you don’t dive into office politics and favoritism. Base promotions and credits on objective measures such as performance, etc. and not how comfortable you are with a person. It is very disheartening for everyone involved if there is preferential treatment or go into office politics. Aside from low morale, it can also disband the camaraderie and teamwork you are working so hard for.
- Discipline in private, recognize in public.
It’s self-explanatory. Be objective in your discipline and be generous with your thank you’s. You can give them Linkedin recommendations, endorsements, small gifts, and/or recognize top performers. You can even come up with customized recognition and rewards such as “Best in Beating the Deadline” or “Best Lightbulb Idea”, or in our quarantine times, “Best in WFH Attire” etc.
Leadership is about helping others become the best they can be. They should not be seeking praise for themselves but understand that each person can make a valuable contribution to the organization.
I saw this quote online.
Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.
While this is Pinterest-sharing-worthy, this can also apply to our every day interactions. For me, leadership is all about empathy and passion for people. It’s the little things that we do that counts.
If our workplace is a metaphorical garden, we are its plants, and leadership the seeds. Creating a place where there is love and belongingness, are the rays of sunshine and the water being given to make us grow.
We spend more than of our waking hours working. Isn’t it reason enough to make it as nurturing as possible?
*This article was originally published in THE Corporate magazine. This was edited to elaborate my take on our current challenges.
READ THIS ARTICLE ON LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/channeling-maslow-todays-ways-leadership-ara-abellana/