Culture - What are the steps we take to make staff feel like they belong?

Culture - What are the steps we take to make staff feel like they belong?

Creating a true team environment means that staff members really need to feel like they belong, in order to trust each other enough to authentically work as a team.

In our practice, the systems and process have been deliberately designed so that they only work if each staff member does their part and contributes to the delivery of services to the customer.?Because we share the clients, it means that if a staff member doesn’t write an appropriate treatment plan, doesn’t do their notes, doesn’t pass on the appropriate information to reception, the client’s experience suffers and it affects how “the next person will look”, not necessarily that staff member directly.

This is a risky strategy, because it means that if true teamwork is not achieved, the whole system collapses.?However, the upside is that if you can create that true team environment, the collaborative approach is better than what any person alone can achieve on their own and the client journey is vastly enhanced for the effort.

This requires firstly, to make staff members feel like they belong from day 1.?These are 3 of the steps we take to make this happen in our organization.

Start with a memorable first day

This is a process we adopted from Tristan White’s book Culture is everything, to make a staff member’s first day with us, their welcome day.

Often we celebrate when a staff member is about to leave ( I understand this is usually for the work and effort they have put into your company during their service with you), but it is when they first start that they are the most nervous and anxious about joining your team.?They are usually about to leave an environment they are familiar with, meet and have to work with a bunch of strangers they don’t know (and are unsure they are going to like) and do a job in an environment that is going to be foreign.

These are all normal feelings when starting a new job, so why not make this transition as welcoming as possible.

On the staff member’s first day, all other staff are made familiar with their name and greet them by name as they come in.?We usually have a welcome banner up in the staff room and we try to lay out their favourite desserts in the staff room (we would ask this at some stage in the interview process), so they can enjoy their favourite treats and see that we have really thought about them on their first day.

There are also the formalities of computer logins, meeting their supervisors and outlining their training and work expectations, the more standard HR processes, but these soft touches make them feel “special” and add that warmer dimension to the welcome process.

What are you going to do to make your new staff members feel welcome on their first day?

Regular team activities to get to know each other, whenever a new staff member joins the team

Over the past few years, we have adapted Patrick Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a team, approach in getting the staff to know each other and work closely as a team.?Although it worked fantastically initially, as staff members changed or added to the team, there was a “drift” in the effectively of the process, because new staff members were not familiar with each other and the trust just wasn’t there.

As a result, we realized that every time we added or changed a staff member in the team, we had to start the process from the start.

I thought this would feel repetitive (and that the other staff members who had gone through the process would feel that way as well), however, it never feels that way and each time we get to know the other staff members a little bit better and trust is built that little bit more.

The major outcomes that we get from the process each time are:

·????????To understand each staff member’s personal style (Both their DISC profile and their motivators) and how each member fits into the team

·????????Each staff member’s communication style, in particular, how to talk to them so that they actually hear us and that they feel like they have been heard.

·????????The individual conflict style and the conflict style of the group.?This is extremely important, as these dynamics change significantly with each group.?However, only by having an understanding of the group’s conflict style will you be able to bring up “tough issues” and debate them with authenticity towards resolution.

What process/systems do you have in place to get to know each other, whenever you have a new staff member?

Individual staff member support, based on their personality and needs

Each staff member needs support, however, this is not the same for each person.?Understanding the staff member’s profile and motivations give a much clearer idea of how to communicate with them and their need for support.

One example from our centre is a staff member with a degree of anxiety.?This in itself is not a problem, however, when they are confronted with a new situation, their first reaction is to have a large emotional reaction and to fear the situation.

Our mistake initially was to tell this staff member what to do in the situation and how to solve this problem.?This unfortunately led to more anxiety and the staff member feeling like “they weren’t being heard”.

Understanding their motivators and style meant we changed our approach.?Instead of giving advice, we gave them the space to tell us their issues and then we listened.?Often they already knew what to do, they just needed to talk it though in their mind and then be given time to think.

This weekly catch-up gave the staff member the “space” they needed to allow their racing mind to calm down and consolidate their thoughts.?The result has been a much more confident team member who has really blossomed in their performance and contribution to the team

What individual support does your staff member need that is particular for their needs?