Take Care of Your Employees

During this season people share gifts with one another. We already discussed the benefits of business owners sharing something with their clients. The good feelings engendered by a thoughtful remembrance translates into good word-of-mouth and possible sales. However, that should not be our purpose. It should always remain a side benefit.

We share gifts, thoughts, and connections to express our appreciation and caring for our fellow being. The holiday season highlights peace and good will. Sincere expressions of gratitude kindle similar feelings in others. They in turn, share better feelings with others. We could change the feelings of the community with sufficient sharing of good for others.

Sincere and Perfunctory Expressions Of Appreciation

The same applies to our employees. We should express appreciation for their work on our behalf. While it is true that we compensate them for the work they do, additional expressions of gratitude and concern enhance the warm feelings we want among out staff.

Let me share two examples:

1. One of my daughters works for a pediatric clinic. She had surgery in October. Her office arranged for me to text one of them how the surgery went. That person notified the entire office. Flowers appeared at the hospital from the staff. Two of her co-workers visited her at home during her recovery. The company provided a small potluck Christmas part party for the staff. At the party, management expressed appreciation for all the work the team did. They recognized the sacrifice the staff made to take care of the clients. They gave a small gift to each worker. Their expressions lifted the whole staff. Morale increased. Good feelings prevail, even when some of the staff will have to work through the holidays. They asked who would be willing to keep the doors open. The spirit of volunteerism increased because of the sincere expressions of appreciation.
2. Another daughter works for a school district. Management called all of them into a meeting—not a party—the last day of school this year. They did not express any recognition for the work done by these teachers. They did not acknowledge the sacrifice the teachers make. No sincere efforts were made to bring seasonal cheer to the teachers. Instead, they were informed that they would be working on January 2nd, the national holiday for new year’s eve. They were told that they would not be paid the time and a half normally given for working a holiday. They were told that absences on that day would be strictly reviewed. Then, without a word of appreciation they distributed the teacher’s Christmas bonus—a $1.00 roll of holiday wrapping paper.

Can you guess which of my daughters felt better about her employers. Interestingly, the cost of the gift was not the issue. Both gifts were very inexpensive. The difference came from the expressions, sincere expressions, of gratitude and respect. The gratitude led to staff voluntarily working on holidays.

In the other situation the demands to work on holidays with explicit denial of overtime engendered resentment. The lack of appreciation and gratitude enhanced the feelings. In addition, the lack of sincerity caused the $1.00 gift to feel like slap in the face. The negativity would not have happened with a few sincere expressions of gratitude.

So, this season take care of your employees. Try to be more like “old Fezziwig” rather than Ebenezer Scrooge. You do not need to spend a lot of money. You do need to sincerely thank them for what they do. A small potluck party wouldn’t hurt.

I would like to share a Merry Christmas message to all of you this Saturday