{"id":4171,"date":"2015-02-08T11:59:49","date_gmt":"2015-02-08T19:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/?p=4171"},"modified":"2015-02-08T11:59:50","modified_gmt":"2015-02-08T19:59:50","slug":"employees-go-ahead-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.careersingovernment.com\/tools\/resources\/hr-tips\/employees-go-ahead-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Employees: Go Ahead and Love Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"love<\/a>February is \u201clove\u201d season. You know, Valentines Day and all. In terms of the workplace, it kind of begs the question, \u201cCan we show love at work?\u201d In this day and age of harassment suits and political correctness, many managers shy away from showing love for their employees. I\u2019m here to suggest that a little love will go a long way and I\u2019ll share actions you can take to show \u201clove\u201d to employees without getting yourself in hot water.<\/p>\n

We all come to the workplace with a basic human need to be acknowledged and recognized as an individual\u2014as someone who brings value. You can show love by pointing out that value to your employees. I\u2019m not talking hugs and kisses. I\u2019m not suggesting poetry and chocolates. I\u2019m just suggesting some good old-fashioned acknowledgement.<\/p>\n

Patrick Lencioni, in his book, \u201cThe Three Signs of a Miserable Job<\/a>\u201d talks about \u201canonymity.\u201d He says that every employee, from the laborer to the executive, benefits from someone knowing who he or she really is\u2014as a human being. And when no one really knows us we become anonymous at work and then the job becomes miserable.<\/p>\n

Overcoming anonymity means that the boss knows more than just the fact that an employee is a father of two. It means the boss knows that the employee\u2019s son is a hockey nut and that the employee\u2019s daughter got a 96% on her spelling test. It\u2019s digging a little deeper to understand what makes your employee tick.<\/p>\n

If this is a challenge for you, try kick starting your conversations with these statements and then follow with a conversation that allows you to learn more about the employee:<\/p>\n

\u201cI really appreciate the way you. . .<\/strong> (are always positive when our customers call in with complains OR are meticulous with the monthly reports).\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy you are on our team because. . .<\/strong> (you bring a unique perspective that allows us to see our product from the eyes of the customer OR you help bring people together by focusing on the positive).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for you. . .<\/strong> (our database would be a mess OR we wouldn\u2019t have increased our sales by 14% this year).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re an important part of our office because. .<\/strong> . (without you the staff would not have the support they need to respond to client calls OR you bring new ideas that have lead us to develop new services).\u201d<\/p>\n

As a manager you have opportunities to show love every day. Here are a few ideas for showing love to those with whom you work:<\/p>\n