Your Employees Want To Know You Care

Caring isn’t a word you hear often in leadership. You hear more powerful words. You hear words like: Results, Return On Investment, Strengths, Action-orientated, and more.

The words you often hear in leadership have to do with getting results and taking action. They make you think of doing something powerful.

man and woman hugging against a cloudy background

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez

I’ve learned one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader is to show care. You, the leader, need to let your team members know you care about them.

Your Employees Want To Know You Care

I’ve experienced this first-hand multiple times. My father is getting up there in age. He’s currently 92 years old.

I’ve shared a little about my dad previously on this blog. You can find that article here. He’s a manly man who has had trouble with his health over the last couple of years.

One of the issues he’s dealt with is a fused spinal column. His neck had begun to hurt and the doctor’s recommended course of action was to do a surgery to fuse multiple vertebrae in his spine.

More recently, he’s experienced a loss of feeling in his hands and feet. He struggles to grasp items with his hands because he cannot feel them. He also struggles to walk because he cannot feel if his feet are on the ground.

Throughout these struggles, I learned the value of having an employer who cares about you, your family, and your life.

I let my boss know what my dad and mom are going through. His first response? Take care of business. Family comes first.

He showed care when he didn’t have to. He allowed me time to help my parents when things weren’t going well.

Knowing the leadership at my organization cared about my family and I meant the world to me.

If it meant this much to me, I know letting team members and employees know I care means the same or more to them. They need to know I care about their lives and what is happening to them.

How To Show Your Employees You Care

What does it take to show your employees you care? It really doesn’t take much. You can show you care by doing a few simple things.

Listen to your employees:

One of the easiest things you can do is to listen to your employees. Hear what they’re saying. Observe their behaviors and notice any changes.

When everything was happening to my father, I began to share openly with my boss. I let him know the trouble my parents where facing and how they may need me to step out of the office for an extended period of time to help them.

He listened. He responded. And he helped me know it was going to be okay.

Give your employees time:

Many organizations have moved from a time-based workplace to a results-orientated workplace. This is great because it allows your team members to get the work done in their own time (many times it will be faster than you thought).

But what happens when a tragic situation happens? Do you allow your employees the ability to leave or do you force them to stay in the office?

Great leaders know there’s really not a choice here. The right choice is to tell your employees to take the time off. Handle their business. And then come back to work.

When you allow your employees to go help elderly parents, hurting family members, and more they see you care. They experience a dopamine hit that tells them to stick around.

Ask questions:

This one can be a bit tricky because you have to be aware of what questions are off-limits and how much they want to share. However, asking questions can be a great way to show you care.

You can ask them how they are doing, what’s going on in their lives, and how you can help. Find basic, simple, unoffensive questions to ask.

By being interested in their lives and situations, you show you are willing to get to know them.

Care Makes The World Go Round

The heading above may sound trite but it is true. Think about the times when you feel cared for. You feel on the top of the world.

You begin to realize how valuable you are. Or how special you are. Or what you bring to the table.

As you begin to show your employees how much you care, you make them feel the same way. You help them to understand their value.

This is why I say care makes the world go round.

Everyone is trying to understand the value they bring. You help them understand they’re valuable and special by showing them you care.

Your employees want you to care. More than that, your employees want to know you care.

Your care will be a driving factor in their motivation to stick around, work harder, and get things done. Why not show you care?

Question: Are you showing your employees you care? Why or why not? What difference could it make if you began to show them how much you cared for them?

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