As October comes to a close, so does Healthy Workplace Month (CHWM), so we’re giving companies and their workplaces a full “employee health” assessment.
What is your Cause?
In every organization, regardless of their size or success, the employees are a direct line to understanding their organization’s health. In a healthy workplace, employees go above and beyond their role and responsibilities to support the greater good of the organization. Unfortunately, many workplaces struggle to facilitate this type of culture. Many places suffer from poor employee morale, lack of engagement, low productivity, and “clock watchers” (punch in at 9AM, leave promptly at 4:59PM). The problem is not the people. The problem is not the role. The problem is a disengaged staff. The problem is that companies are misunderstanding their workforce.
The solution is meaningful employee engagement. This is not a one-time fix, but instead must be ongoing and built into the DNA of an organization. Meaningful employee engagement is all about finding ways to allow employees to find purpose in their role and in the organization and allowing them to do it.
The first step is determining, what is your cause?
Add meaning to a Monday morning.
Choosing your cause is an important matter, because it needs to fit in with your line of business, but also make sense to your stakeholders. Often when companies call to host a Kit pack, they say, “We’ll support any cause, it doesn’t matter to us!” This is such a missed opportunity. As an example, if a real estate agency is doing a Kit pack, our suggested cause would be to pack Kits that support individuals who are homeless or moving into transitional housing. It relates back to their line of business, connects to their employees’ why, and allows them to feel purpose in their role and in the organization. You can deepen the engagement and meaning in the workplace, by allowing employees to suggest any of their favourite charities based on your overarching cause. This could be a great internal survey, kick off to the Monday morning meeting or post on your business’ Facebook page which opens it up to your community to allow their input (and engagement). In execution this takes little action and creates large impact in the workplace. Employees are engaged in decision making, feel committed to the cause and it allows the organization to feel more connected to their employees.
Celebrate the impact – the art of the humble brag.
Nobody likes a showoff, but people do want to make the world a better place. If an organization is doing good in the community by giving back through their employee engagement program, they should be talking about it to EVERYONE! People want to work for people who do good. People want to do business with good people. By allowing employees the opportunity to give back, the organization is reminding them WHY they show up every day. This creates a healthy workplace that celebrates impact, finds ways to be innovative and allows employees to tell their network about the amazing work that their organization does. Here at Kits for a Cause, our team speaks to so many companies who continue to find ways to give back, but their employees often aren’t aware of all their incredible work in the community. Think, if an employee is unaware, imagine a potential customer – if an organization is giving back but not promoting it, then how will anyone know. It’s just like the saying, If a company gives back to their local community but doesn’t tell anyone, did it even happen.
Get healthy this flu season.
So now, for your free employee health assessment. Do you have team that checks all the below boxes?
- Do your staff always go above and beyond their responsibilities?
- Do you know what your employees value?
- Do you have a cause that is defined, and your stakeholders are aware of?
- Does your cause fit into your mission statement?
- Are employees recognized for their effort in giving back?
- Do your employees feel that their input is valued and heard?
- When is the last time that your team participated in meaningful employee engagement?
Give our team a call today and work one on one with one of our meaningful employee engagement experts to create a healthy workplace right away: 416-785-5655 or email [email protected]
Written by Marco Gobbatto
Marco is an incredible member of our Kits for a Cause team. He’s also the proud owner of a new car named Shelby and his cause is inclusivity!
