Humanity at Work
By Dana Vogelmeier, CPTD
Workplace Culture Strategist
Even before Covid-19 upended our lives, humanity at work was something people were craving for. They want to be appreciated, valued, and cared for by their leadership and co-workers. We all want that.
During this time, there have been many leaders step-up to help their employees whether it is setting them up to work from home, bringing them food, or understanding when the employee is trying to work and homeschool. It can be a hectic time. Here are a few stories of before and during this pandemic about leaders demonstrating humanity with their employees.
• Fashion designer, Christian Siriano kept his employees working even though the movie stars who typically hire him for a special gown were not calling. He adapted and started making face masks for the healthcare workers in New York City. Many of his famous friends and colleagues started donating towards his effort! This helped everyone and it really felt good for the employees to be able to help.
• “In a world being utterly reshaped (and often disfigured) by technology, people are hungrier than ever for a deeper and more authentic sense of humanity.” I agree. This quote was from an article I recently read by Bill Taylor of Fast Company about the company Executive Shine, a shoe-shine company in many airports. He tells the story of their great company culture. Testimonial after testimonial from customers talked about how great, nice, passionate, and caring the people are. Customers get these feelings from Executive Shine while they are getting their shoes shined – a short point of relaxation during hectic business travel!
• I had a colleague once tell me about a boss that demonstrated humanity. This colleague had a baby and moved several states away both in a very short timeframe. She was pretty overwhelmed with the move and had not begun the new job yet. She spoke to her new boss on the phone and the boss sensed how she was feeling. She said, “I’m going to swing by tonight for just a few minutes, around 5:00.” The boss dropped off a homemade casserole, said hello, and said, “Why don’t you take an extra few days before you start. It will be fine and I’m sure you can use it to get settled in.”
• A simple gesture like being friendly, sending a thank you note, demonstrating empathy go a long way with employees (and customers). People remember it and it creates loyalty.
• What can you do today to demonstrate humanity at work?
Dana has over 30 years of experience working for a Fortune 50 company in many leadership roles. She is a certified Workplace Culture Strategist and a Certified Professional in Talent Development.
Contact:
Dana Vogelmeier, CPTD
Workplace Culture Strategist
Vogelmeier Consulting, LLC
Email: dana@vogelmeierconsulting.com
Website: www.vogelmeierconsulting.com
