Show some respect and that you truly care
Yesterday was World Mental Health Day.
So, it’s quite fitting this week that I’m
- attending my Mental Health First Aid course tomorrow,
- and on Sunday I’m taking part in the Walk for Wellbeing in support of Hospitality Action.
If you feel you’d like to donate, you can do so here. Any donation, no matter how large or small, will make such a difference.
I’m sure I’m going to have lots more to share with you about wellbeing after this week’s course, but in the meantime I believe one way we can all help with employees’ wellbeing is to show you really care about them and that they feel respected and valued.
How good are your managers and supervisors at showing they really care about their teams?
Here are 3 areas to review with them. I’m sure they’re doing most of these already, but this will act as a reminder.
1. Know what’s important
Understand each of your team members and what’s important to them. Recognise there are things which may seem insignificant to you, but can mean a lot for others.
Express an interest; what do they enjoy? What are they proud of, be that in or out of work?
Does the work they do give them a sense of purpose, and one resonates with them.
2. Respect
Treat your team with the same care, courtesy and respect as you’d like them to show customers.
Respect people’s time. Asking someone to stay even a few minutes late when they have other important commitments, or keeping them waiting suggests a lack of respect.
Keep your commitments; letting people down implies you don’t care, but if you can’t do what you say you’ll do at the very least say “I’m sorry”.
3. Pay attention
Show your team you value their opinion: listen to feedback, ideas and suggestions. Ask for their advice or suggestions on matters that affect them or where they may present a different perspective.
Be approachable. Listen and observe so you can act on concerns before they become a problem.
Never under estimate the value sitting down in private with each of your team on a one-to-one basis. Schedule these in advance and stick to your schedule; nothing smacks more of “I’m not valued” than cancelling these meetings.
Today’s top tip
Put succession plans in place so that when you need to recruit more managers or supervisors you already have people waiting in the wings internally. Not only will this save time and money on recruitment, giving your team development opportunities helps keep them engaged and feeling valued.
The perfect introduction for how to manage people is through Management Essentials, which starts next week. If you missed this last week here’s a quick summary:
Management Essentials online programme for new or aspiring managers.
Management Essentials is a 7 week (2 hours per week for 7 weeks) online programme and is the ideal starting point for any new manager or aspiring manager.
The programme supports managers by
- Furthering their skills to manage & engage their teams effectively
- Increasing their confidence in getting the best from their team
- Demonstrates your commitment to your managers by investing in their development
We start on Wednesday 19th October, with the final module on 30th November.
Here is a sample of the feedback from previous programmes
“Caroline’s method of delivery is fantastic- simple, easy to understand and on the money.”
“I would certainly recommend this programme as a positive and interactive way to engage with a team, to get the best from individuals –leaders and operatives –and to focus on strengthening teams and maintaining teamwork to ensure an exceptional and consistent customer service ethos.”
“I have to say the content was excellent as was her delivery, and her ability to engage the attendees. Homework and follow ups all added to the embedding of the material. Very useful and highly recommended.”
If you have junior managers in your team who would benefit (or you’d like some support yourself) you can find more here
