Ready, Set, Wow!: Wowing the employee experience

By Robbie Hanson

Ready, Set, WOW!

 

Ready, Set, WOW! is a pract

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matchstick Concepts LLC
• Release date: Nov 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798987131619

Book preview

Chapter 1

Respect

One of the key components of a well-functioning workplace is respect: respect for yourself, respect for others, respect for the work environment. Without the foundation of these three facets of respect, you’re building a culture that will eventually crumble. When I am brought in to consult for companies or asked to turn a team culture around, respect is my starting point.

Respect starts with yourself. As a leader, respect is keeping true to myself and then extending that to others. My default setting is that I have respect for my team as people and I demonstrate that by creating an environment where people can thrive by being themselves; where everyone is valued and appreciated. That sounds like the typical corporate-speak you read in employee handbooks, doesn’t it? Here’s how you can apply it in the workplace.

The Manager’s Respect Conversation

Say I’m a manager giving my new employee a tour of the facility. The conversation with an employee about respect would never happen in my office. Instead, it would be part of a walk and talk, discussing respect in general terms, then grounding it by making it personal. As I’m showing the new employee around, I would talk about why a respectful workplace is super important; a workplace and a team can’t function without respect for each other. But then I would extend that further. One of my expectations of respect is that we have consideration for others. That’s the general. As I start introducing them to their new team members, I would mention something personal about the colleague they are meeting—whether it is a work accomplishment, credentials, or something cool that may not even be work related. As a manager, I would show that I valued my team as people, as well as employees; that I have respect for who they are as well as what they do.

As I show them where the time clock is, the break room, things like that, I would talk about respect for the environment, for the property. We are all here together, so we respect our environment. That means we’re not doing things like vandalizing any of the bulletin boards. That means that if something goes up on those bulletin boards, you’re going to respect other people’s time, recognize the effort that went into creating a notice, and read that information. Just as I’m going to respect your time, I’m going to expect that you respect my time.

When I talk about having respect for ourselves, I would show them where all the employee resources are for them; I would point out the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and specific information in their handbook. We could talk about how these programs allow them to not only take care of themselves, but how they can be a resource for their co-workers.

I would also bring out other indications of respect, things that people might not ordinarily think about. Respect is shown by arriving for work properly dressed. It’s adhering to the company policies and standards. I’m going to respect your time and since I want to make sure you get paid for everything you do, make sure you’re always clocked in on time. I want to make sure that you are taking your breaks, getting well rested so you’re ready to go. I translate what might be seen as an arbitrary company rule, You’re expected to clock in on time, to Clocking in on time benefits both you and the company.

Managers need to set expectations about respect from the very start. The respect conversation is a very friendly and caring way to let new employees know the rules of the road. This is the baseline; it is the minimum expected. When you state it in terms of caring for them as employees and valuing them as people, it takes on a tangible meaning.

When You Don’t Get to Choose Your Employees

It’s always a bonus when you are part of the initial hiring process, but that’s not always the case. Many times the hiring is done by HR and you work with what you get. Most managers don’t have the luxury of handpicking their people. Managers have to take the new and tenured hands, varying levels of competence, skills, and motivation, and somehow meld this into a functioning team.

I am often brought into a company to fix broken teams which can be an executive or management team, a division, or I’m brought in to reshape the overall company culture. While I am given the authority to hire and fire, I don’t go in with guns blazing. With very few exceptions, I prefer to work with the people who are already in place. There was a reason why they were hired. The company has made an investment in them. Having people in place can be a blessing.

What I’ve tried to teach the people I work with, my front-line managers and so forth, is that not being in on the hiring process can be a gift. Think about how much time it takes to recruit, to sort through resumes, to interview—that entire process. The HR team is a pipeline; they’re giving you that gift of doing those things for you. Let’s take that time that you would have spent on the hiring process and use it to develop the