How to make your employees feel valued
In today’s ambiguous and volatile work environment, employers need to do more than provide compensation and perks to make employees feel cherished. Offering stretch assignments to high potential talent, building a culture of transparency and clarity, and prompt rewards could build a sense of belonging, finds Anumeha Chaturvedi.
1) Challenge Them
Challenging employees within their routine tasks to deliver a higher quality output, or tackle a problem and take up more responsibilities can make a difference, according to Achal Khanna, CEO, Society for Human Resource Management. “Constant support from the manager during this challenging task will further make him or her feel valued,” says Khanna.
Frequent and more prompt rewards and recognition channels can help build affinity, says Khanna. “While team-based appreciation works well, if organisations can also focus on recognising individual employees and rewarding them according to their accomplishments immediately instead of annual and bi-annual awards,the engagement level increases,” says Khanna.
3) Place Trust in Them
Building a culture of transparency and placing trust in employees can make them feel more connected. Very often the manager plays the role of the bridge for an employee, says Mervyn Raphael, managing director of HR consulting firm People Business. “For an employee, the manager is the company. Managers need to demonstrate behaviours that create a positive environment and build trust and transparency,” he says.
4) Offer Clarity in Roles
Employees would like to know the value they are providing. “Whether he or she is an engineer or a sales professional, employees would like to know their line of sight — what is the value that they are creating for the company, where do they stand in the value chain and how does their role help the organisation,” says Raphael.
5) Invest in Skilling
It is important to recognise employees as people with both strengths and weaknesses, says Khanna. As humans they are bound to err, and there should be room and mechanisms for improvement. “Focus on developing weaknesses through constant communication, support and training,” says Khanna.