Caring is Key

Today was our first employee lunch in our new,  much larger, break room. It is a beautiful kitchen/dining room, which shows the owners personal care for their employees. Relating to the SMART HR Plan I presented, the previous lunch room will likely become the HR meeting room. Time will reveal how the plan will unfold.

A workplace can be exciting and fulfilling or drone and mundane, it depends upon how it is managed.  Recognizing dignity and fostering loyalty are two components that create this atmosphere.  Both are achieved through caring. A perk to being in this workplace is having freedom to ride a tandem bike with my family.

The SMART Goal System is designed to create employee loyalty.  It is an investment for a company to incorporate this system. They are investing in employees lives by helping them make goals and rewarding their effort. The question is, how much does the system cost? The ultimate answer, the cost is insignificant compared to the return.

Rewards can range from monetary bonuses, to simple acts of kindness. There is a large range of rewards that could be offered. The best way to determine proper reward are by having personal care for each employee. There is no equivalent to having care in a personal relationship. This care is more then a mere response to hard work. Care is treating people with dignity because they are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Everyone has innate dignity that should be recognized (Jam. 3:8-9). Dignity is covered and tarnished by sin, but as humans,  everyone has innate dignity.

When employers  care for employees, in word and in deed (Col. 3:17), that care doesn't  go unnoticed. Employees won't expect this kind of treatment, but when they are treated with dignity, it will go miles for encouraging them. The manager is living an honorable lifestyle that employees are bound to recognize (1 Pet. 2:12).

As managers maintain this caring relationship with each employee, they will discover what best encourages them. The managers relationship will reveal what people like and want. In the previous post, Excellence like Vikings, there is no replacement for hard work. People shouldn't be "molly coddled" to get work done. But, out of an act of care, rewards can be offered freely (1 Thes. 3:12). Personal expressions of concern will lead to an exciting and fulfilling atmosphere. When manager care for employees, employees care for their work. It is a win-win situation. Managers act in kindness and offer rewards, employees work hard and aren't dependent on others (1 Thes. 4:10-12).

My current employer has been gracious to my family, they offer time and freedom.  It allows me to pursue further education and allows me to lead my family as a husband and a father. Both are a minimal cost to the employer, but a high expression of care. The same type of care applies when leading my family. I make the investment of time being with them, which is a pure joy and minimal cost, in return my family grows and matures (Eph. 5:25-33). Our favorite hobby is riding our tandem and working in our garden. Both take personal time and care, but cost very little.

In the end, excitement and fulfillment come when care is freely given, from the managers to the employees, from fathers to children. This care is expressed when innate dignity is recognized and personal rewards are given. When this is coupled with the previous post, Excellence like Vikings, work will be done with excellence and the atmosphere will be enjoyable.

Another question is, how does everyone get on the same page? How is an entire company united into having a single mindset? I will post more about this on Monday, 3-25-13.