Debby Routt is the Director of Human Resources at Marathon Health.
I think of a story I heard as a child, when NASA first drew a line in the sand and said it was going to send a man to the moon.
Despite the incredible challenges, other people wonder how NASA completed such an incredible feat so quickly. Well, I think it was the fact that everyone in the organization had their eye on the ball. Everyone was connected to the project and understood how their role. We all know how the story ends, with a great world celebration.
I always revisit this story when I think about creating a corporate culture. As HR managers, we look for a magic bullet or the newest trend, but it’s actually much simpler. When we talk obviously to workers and make sure they feel a meaningful connection with their manager and the organization, amazing things start to happen, and we can celebrate.
Communication stimulates culture
As human resources (HR) leaders, it is vital that we foster a culture of compassion, respect, exceptional service, and teamwork. Of course, we can’t have any of those things unless other people talk to each other; it’s just not going to work.
We will have to continually compare our organizations and make sure we talk in other ways, in order to be successful across all employees. This is especially vital in this new virtual world, and we can’t assume that what resonated before will be seen in a virtual or hybrid painting environment.
I’ve heard of corporations spending ridiculous amounts of cash to set up those elaborate town halls with complicated production and lighting. Guess what? They fall to the ground. Employees just need the message, not a bunch of fanfare.
When it comes to communicating, whether about a cultural initiative or a corporate policy, we want the “why” and put it into effect very intentionally.
I start by communicating the big issues with our control team, let them know what’s coming, the reasons and timing of the next steps, which gives managers the opportunity to seek answers to their own questions, so they can be the link between the organization and our employees.
Connect your employees
When we communicate how connection fits into the corporate culture, we want to make sure that workers not only feel connected to their manager or teammates, but also to the organization.
HR managers also want to perceive that we are still in the early stages of remote work, however, over time, the novelty of running from home will begin to fade for some workers. We want to be very committed to communicating with workers in a normal way, through individual recordings and team meetings, and in other ways. Otherwise, it can lead to turnover for many organizations.
Unless we intentionally join, I think we are missing something.
Celebrate victories and the little ones
We are all busy and occasionally to celebrate victories. Or we wait to celebrate only the important things, like getting the first account or opening a new store. I think frontline leaders also want to focus on celebrating small victories along the way and making sure they spread the birthday party to all employees.
When we communicate about the celebration, it doesn’t have to come in the form of promotion or merit gain, however, it has to be honest and sometimes it is more productive from the employee’s direct supervisor. Just send a card to your home that says, “Hey, thank you!It really made a difference in this specific situation,” it may sound better than an email or a shout in Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Make sure you know how they like your team members to be celebrated. I have other people on my team who would faint if I ever identified them in front of the total group. There are other people who prefer to receive praise in privado. no those other people.
As HR leaders, whether deliberately or not, in the end we are guilty of driving the culture of our organizations. We set the tone and want to set expectations early on that describe how we talk, talk to employees, and celebrate victories, even if we don’t land on the moon.
The Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation only to HR executives from all sectors.