Employee Appreciation Looks Like Love
That's right – the best way to appreciate your employees is to love them. Not the taboo, inappropriate-for-the-workplace Hollywood kind of love, but agape love. Love the verb. Love that looks and feels like genuine appreciation for other human beings.
After my appearance on the CBS hit reality television show "Undercover Boss," I heard from many of the 18 million viewers who watched me, the CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, go undercover as an entry-level employee at several of the theme parks we own and operate.
The level of dissatisfaction and even resentment present in the thousands of letters and email messages shocked me. People felt as if they couldn't trust their leaders and bosses. People were – and are – hungry for something new: workplaces that are more respectful, cooperative, appreciative and, well, more loving.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
I spent 20 years of my career in the auto industry, serving in several senior positions at GM/Saturn and ultimately as the CEO of Saab Automobile USA. There are many differences in the operating styles of those companies and HFE, but the key one is this: Herschend Family Entertainment loves its employees.
Bosses: Can you remember the last time you took a minute to encourage an employee? To give honest feedback on how great they're doing and where they could improve? When was the last time your words made their day better?
With 55 percent of employees indicating that recognition by management is "very important" to their overall job satisfaction and human resource managers indicating that 69 percent of these employees are not satisfied with the level of recognition they are receiving, there's a pretty good chance that your employees are craving your appreciation!
The following are some simple, yet often counterintuitive lessons I've learned on the road from the number-centric, result-driven auto-CEO I used to be, to becoming a people centric, result-driven CEO I am now!
1. Be patient.
You should never be patient with poor performance, but instead, be patient with how you respond to poor performance. It takes patience to admonish in private, and in a way that gets the point across while protecting a person's dignity.
In the same way, administering praise takes patience. A generic "job well done" or "way to go" only goes so far, and when overused, can kill credibility. Exact and specific praise reinforces positive behavior and leaves employees feeling valued.
2. Be kind.
Every time you come in contact with someone, you can make his or her day better or worse – so make it better. Often times this requires very little action or effort!
A practice I have adopted is to begin each day reflecting on the previous day, thinking about the behavior I want to reinforce, then I write that employee a hand-written note, thanking them for their attitude, behavior, etc. and for sharing their talents with HFE and our guests.
3. Trust them.
An overbearing boss is a red flag of distrust. By trusting your employees, you are giving them your vote of confidence. Letting employees make the decisions they were hired to make is one of the best ways to show them you trust them to do the job you hired them to do!
4. Be unselfish.
It all boils down to this: think of yourself less, and think of others more. At HFE, we started the Share it Forward fund, an employee driven fund that helps out HFE employees in need. Whatever our employees personally give, the company matches. This program has helped nearly 10 percent of our seasonal employees in the past five years, with employee donations increasing during the recession.
Being unselfish towards your employees can also look like taking time out of your busy day to talk with an employee who needs a shoulder to cry on, or to listen to one who has big ideas for the future of your company.
5. Be truthful.
No one appreciates being lied to, especially when lies are masking bad news. Bosses, employers, and companies as a whole should always be honest with employees about the bottom line – be it good or bad.
Leading with love works financially as well. In the last 10 years HFE has grown its profit 50 percent and delivered a 14 percent annual return, while also growing in love.
It all boils down to this: appreciating your employees leads to happier workers, increased production and motivation to keep working for you. At a time where 32 percent of workers are looking to leave their jobs, how can you afford not to appreciate your workforce?
Show them some love.
