Only Human
By Betsey Nash, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Bobby is angry because he’s hungry — you know, “hangry” — but he doesn’t know it. I want to take a piece of cheese and shove it in his mouth like Julia Robert’s mamma, Sally Field, did in Steel Magnolias.
Julia is having a diabetic reaction that could become a seizure and coma, but I feel just as desperate to turn around Bobby’s mood, as Sally does to help poor Julia. A snippy coworker is hard to take, and a reasoned, calm discussion is useless; nothing works except food!
So we have waffles on Tuesday mornings and hot dogs at lunch Wednesday, and I sometimes bring fruit, just in case our wellness director is in town. And even if the employees are not “hangry,” the food has a wonderful effect on them, increasing camaraderie, lightening the mood, almost team-building. Well, except when it’s time to clean the kitchen. But I digress.
Cannon, MindBody, the Y and other local employers have employee runs and other physical events that develop their employees’ bond beyond the usual co-worker relationship.
Studies confirm how effective this stuff is in increasing employee engagement and retention. Here at Strasbaugh, we get a “taco truck” every so often. At Shopatron they give blood.
A recent poll revealed that employees rank “the people I work with” highest when asked what they love most about working for their employer. I have seen this response in the Top 10 many times over the years, but in this poll it was highest — with 34% of respondents picking it over the pay (7%), the benefits (14%), interesting work (19%) and the company’s mission (23%).
What can you do to capitalize on this fact, other than taco trucks and hikes up Half Dome?
• Organize an employee committee, with a budget (no matter how small) and without you on it. Let them organize bake sales and after-work trips to the beach, movie night, lunch n’ learns, and whatever they want.
• Ask for employee suggestions on everything you can — safety, of course, but also new projects, cost-savings, and ways to improve the work environment.
• Remember the “manager’s golden rule” — praise in public and criticize in private. Mess that up and it will take you forever to earn their trust again.
• During performance evaluations, leave plenty of time for and ask for their opinion about their strengths and where they think they need work? If all the talking comes from you, there is less chance they’ll connect with it. This is especially true with goal setting. You need their buy-in and the best way to get it is for them to design their goals. Of course you’ll help, but let them lead.
When I started at Strasbaugh four years ago, I conducted a job satisfaction survey among my new teammates in the Admin Department. With accounting, financial, IT and HR employees in the mix, I knew there would be an interesting spread of responses. Everyone else in the department had been there over seven years, so it was also a way for me to get a handle on what my coworkers valued about the culture.
The most common response was, “the people I work with” and I knew it’d be a great place to work.
Betsey Nash, SPHR, SHRM-SCP recently added some new initials after her name (in case you didn’t notice). Now there are two national groups who offer certification in the human resources field. Pretty cool, huh? She can be reached at: , should readers wish to congratulate her. Only Human is a regular feature of Tolosa Press.
