Posted on September 26, 2016

Last Monday we posed a question of some importance to the 151.6 million of us who work for a living in this country: how can an organization create a culture – a way of doing business – that produces outstanding results? While we have not yet heard back from everyone, we’re confident in our research findings involving thousands: the most compelling, sustainable influence on employee behavior and, in turn, organizational performance is the extent to which people feel valued by their employer.

So, what does it take for an employer to help people feel valued? We believe there are three Maslow-like hierarchical levels, beginning with Level 1:

• Show appreciation for the energy and effort people expend at work
• Recognize contributions, and
• Thank people for their work.

Sounds easy, right? Then why, according to a large and significant percentage of many organizations’ workforces, do people report that basic appreciation is rarely, if ever, demonstrated? Perhaps because many leaders, managers and supervisors tend not to believe this to be important? ‘Hey, we pay them. They have a job. That should be enough,’ is what we often hear. Our reply: Your people are human and humans have an innate need to be appreciated. It’s fundamental and nonnegotiable.

After appreciation of effort, recognition of contributions, and thankfulness – which are absolute musts if people are to feel valued – comes Level 2:

• Treat employees with dignity and respect.

This can take many forms, but always includes: sharing performance-related information about the business – the good and especially the bad – with all employees in real time, providing coaching and support to improve insufficient performance, acting decisively with poor performers, and demonstrating honesty and integrity unfailingly.

If Level 1 is all-too-infrequently achieved, Level 2 is even more rarely attained. Let’s consider just part of this. ‘How can we possibly share bad news with our people? It will only scare them,’ is how many leaders justify withholding important information. The fallacy: everyone already knows! What, you think your people aren’t aware if company performance is down and/or if you’re facing serious issues? Employees work in the business, they talk, they follow the news. They know. No one is doing anyone a favor by avoiding sharing important information. Worse, this behavior teaches people that they are not worthy of trust. So much for feeling respected.

Level 3, which requires the achievement of the previous two levels, is essential to establish the belief that employees are valued. It’s also the most difficult, statistically speaking:

• Being treated as an expert.

When you are being treated as an expert, others – including those higher up on the organization chart than you – will ask your opinion, listen to and seriously consider your point of view, seek to learn from you, may adopt your ideas, and will, in the process, gain from your knowledge and experience. Regardless of your level or pay grade. Imagine an organization that does this. Think you’d do everything you could to make it successful? Our research says you would. And then some.

More about this next week, as both of this Monday’s minutes are gone.