Recognition is at The Heart of Working Human

Why make work human?

Change in the world is undoubtedly accelerating. Very much based on innovation in the telecommunications industry by new ways of communication and digitalization. Human beings, our employees really are at the heart of change, as humans are important enablers for change.

According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “Life is Flux” (Panta Rhei), which in Greek means that everything and all things change.  If one understands that change is the only constant in life, then one will more easily understand what Heraclitus is saying. His philosophy is a good starting point for anyone concerned with change in life, he said that life is like a river, it flows ever onwards. What Heraclitus is saying is that we can’t step into the same river twice. This is because the river is constantly changing. Reality is change and flow. The swirling water is all are part of the ride. Do as Heraclitus would – embrace the changing water. 

We cannot predict the future, even not within one's own industry, and we constantly have to adapt to new learnings and challenges. An unpredictable proof is the Corona crisis. To drive performance in our respective teams, we should focus on our people, by taking care of them and supporting them.

Our goal on individual level should be to contributing towards really creating an ultimated workplace where we’re all supporting a culture that THANKS, TALKS and CELEBRATES what is most important to us HUMANS.

The stronger our corporate culture is, the more trust we will have for our organization, the more we can count on it, and the more we want to work for or with it. The culture of an organization identifies its value to those who know it, just as our character defines our value to our friends.

Where we, employees, can find the energy and be more engaged at work? The answer is in a culture of recognition and gratitude.

Social recognition is the practice of employees recognizing and rewarding each other’s efforts, by using positive feedback to unlock human potentials. Social recognition promotes and facilitates human moments, serving human needs and accelerating our organization's performance.

A meta-analysis of 263 research studies by Eric Mosley and Derek Irvin in Making Work Human, found that the organizations with the most engaged employees outperformed those with the least engaged employees. Thus, by improving human workplace practices we will achieve better business outcomes.

Indeed, we all want to feel valued and appreciated by others. Tapping into these human needs helps employees feel attached with the organization!

There is Good news! We all can initiate Cultural change by learning and practicing the principals of community – belonging and inclusiveness.

It is all about acknowledging a person’s intrinsic value. The point is no not to only focus on one's accomplishments, but to also focus on others worth as a colleague and a human being.

In simple terms, the culture of recognition is not only about what people do, but also about who they are.

Oprah Winfrey spoke about this in a powerful way when she gave a commencement speech at Harvard :

I have to say that the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every single day to people was that there’s a common denominator in our human experience….The common denominator that I found in every single interview is we want to be validated. We want to be understood. I’ve done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always turns to me and inevitably, in their own way, asks this question: “Was that OK?” I heard it from President Bush. I heard it from President Obama. I’ve heard it from heroes and from housewives. I’ve heard it from victims and perpetrators of crimes. I even heard it from Beyoncé in all of her Beyoncé-ness….[We] all want to know one thing: “Was that OK?” “Did you hear me?” “Do you see me?” “Did what I say mean anything to you?”

By showing appreciation to our colleagues, customers, and leaders it is more likely to build trust and connect.

What are the ways we can embrace a culture of recognition?

Tell people what you value about them. Doing this proactively — not because someone did something great or because we want something from them — is an incredibly powerful gift. It can positively affect how our employees, colleagues, customers feel about themselves, and boost our relationship with them in a right direction!

Check in. There’s a quote: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” No matter who said it, it’s such a great reminder. Check in with the people you work with. Asking how they’re doing (and meaning it) and what they’re challenged by right now can show them that we care.

WE can practice those principles frequently and publicly.

Remember, a community is built from the ground up, in thousands of little interactions!

Peer-to-peer interaction is very impactful!

And it is important to support feedback-culture! Feedback helps us connect actions to goals. Positive feedback encourages people to do their best work. Feedback builds trust and belonging. Timely feedback can prevent big failure!

Let’s try together one practice and pause for a moment and consciously pay attention to the moments that matter. The simple exercise to practice is the following - think of someone who helped you in your work. Compose a message of gratitude to the person. Tell the person what he or she did and the impact it had on you.

Don’t stop writing for 3 minutes. When you are finished, pause a moment, and then describe the effect that expressing gratitude has on you. We think that you can gain a lot of positivity and good energy from this exercise! (Perhaps after reading our article you are inspired to drop a short email to a colleague to bring this reading of yours to action! :) )

Xoxoxo

Sia