One of the things I ask myself regularly is, what kind of coach do I have to be in order to want to be coached by me? While doing some work in corporate, I asked some senior managers how they show up for their staff. Who would they have to be as a boss, to want to work for themselves? I watched perceptions shift as they worked on the answers.
“I would want a boss who understands the pressures of a mother and an employee.”
“I would want a boss who spent less time in her office and more time on the floor.”
“I would want a boss not to call me after hours.”
In a work world where there’s no longer money to soothe disgruntled employees, companies need to look at wellness as a lot more than a day of trance dancing, or fire walking. These days can only ever have value if they are part of a bigger employee wellness program and that begins with management. What do your employees need? It’s often the simplest things. Don’t buy a giant coffee machine for senior management while your employees are drinking Frisco, don’t put in a gym they cannot use. An employee who feels seen and appreciated is far more productive. And in a world where social media knocks conventional marketing into the middle of next week, having a staff who gives a glowing review of their workplace is priceless.
I wrote the above pre-Covid (July 2019). It’s more true now than it was back then. More than ever employers need to be looking at their employees and asking what they can do to help in the new working environment when so much of it is now home based and online. Instead of just putting in systems to see how much work your employees are doing, perhaps ask yourselves, what can we do as bosses to make this more workable?
Employees who feel their concerns and needs are seen and helped are far more likely to burn the midnight oil than those who are forced to check in like school children.
