Employers, Double Down on Trust

Dear Employers, your employees are not ok.

They might “appear” to be ok because that is how they have been taught --taught to stuff their thoughts, feelings, and emotions somewhere else while they are at work. To be someone else while they are at work.

Well, guess what employers? It’s simply not working anymore. Its not working for employees and its not working for you.

Employees will leave you (if they haven’t already) because they do not trust in you, believe the values you are selling, and don’t think you care about them. According to a recent Gallup finding, fewer than one in four U.S. employees feel strongly that their organization cares about their wellbeing -- the lowest percentage in nearly a decade.

It’s a harsh reality that many organizations fear to face head on, but they must.

So, employers, I ask you this. Don’t look away. Be with your employees, show up authentically, show them you care. Allow them the space to be fully human, to move forward on their own terms.

I know this may seem backward to you – you may think employees owe you because, after all, you pay them to do the work…and because you pay them, they must deliver, right?

Wrong. You simply won’t get the work if you don’t show up for them and care about them as human beings.

Employers, this means start by listening to your employees, build meaningful connections, and work really really really hard at building trust amongst one another. Take time to craft powerful and productive teams made up of individuals who are truly present for one another –truly supportive especially in times of hope, tragedy, and despair. Isn’t this what a team is all about? Leave no one behind? Everyone deserves a chance. You will see engagement and productivity soar when trust and psychological safety are present.

It’s time to double down on trust. It’s an everyday building block. Active listening should be a purposeful daily exercise, and caring about the fullness of humanity, that each employee is a whole person with thoughts and lives that extend well beyond the confines of “work”. This is what humanizing the workplace is about.

And this, dear employers, is what your employees need. Not someday, not next week, but right now.