We don’t normally celebrate Valentine’s Day in the workplace but my thoughts on this are that this special day doesn’t have to be about ‘love’ in the traditional sense – in the workplace we could use it as a day to make sure others feel valued by showing our appreciation and support for those we work with and spend the majority of our time with.
Here are my thoughts on ways in which you might capture the spirit of Valentine’s Day at work:
Build trust and communication … the foundation of every lasting relationship; regularly communicate your vision to employees and show them you are listening by providing opportunity for them to express their ideas, concerns and opinions.
Show your employees they are appreciated … tell them or send them a handwritten note to say thank you for their efforts. Let them know you care about them by celebrating Birthdays and other events with a card and arranging a treat like cakes and coffee.
Be an advocate for your staff … some people find it difficult to say ‘no’ so there may be times when you need to act to ensure employees are not taking too much on or will be able to commit to a project.
Look after their development … do what you can to show them you want to help them grow. Let them go to a conference or on a training course, arrange for them to meet with a senior member of staff to talk about an idea they have. Not only will this help them to grow it will also make their jobs more interesting.
Pay attention to work-life balance issues … keep an eye out for individuals who seem to be spending longer hours at work and help each member of the team to manage their week so that they balance their personal and work life.
Make sure people get feedback… Employees don’t always get to hear great feedback from higher up the organisation or from customers. Make sure it gets past on. Use opportunities like team meetings to share feedback and get others to give feedback or introduce a whiteboard that can be seen by everyone including visitors where staff can record colleagues’ achievements or examples of going the extra mile.
Julie Gordon heads up the team at cHRysos HR Solutions, an organisation specialising in the delivery of HR and Leadership-related training, professional qualifications, as well as HR and business consultancy services. With over 20 years’ experience in learning and development within the private and public sector, Julie’s key strengths are now in the management of the learning and development process and in work-based learning. As well as working in industry, Julie has held various academic teaching posts and has published journal papers in the field of learning and development.
For further information call 01302 802128 or email info@chrysos.org.uk.