On a recent visit to Edelman’s Portland, Oregon office, I walked by a local boutique hotel. The entrance was charming and the doormen were pleasantly greeting passersby. By all accounts, there was nothing extraordinary about this establishment – pretty standard issue. As I turned the corner and walked toward the rear of the hotel I noticed a sign placed on the employee entrance that read “Through these doors walk the most outstanding Employees anyone could ask for.” I wondered, was there more to this hotel than the others scattered around the block? Did it focus so intently on a positive experience for its employees that the effects trickled down to create an amazing experience for guests? Did this drive more business?
Or was this just a sign displaying a hollow statement in place of real actions? Once employees walk through those doors, do they just see their job as …just a job?
Disclaimer: I don’t have answers to any of these questions because I didn’t stay at the hotel (which I will do next time I visit Portland).
Companies, regardless of industry, size or structure, often mistake words for actions. Sure, it’s a nice gesture to hang signs, send out communications and hold the occasional ice cream social to show employees you appreciate them. But engaging employees in a meaningful way requires a relentless focus on collaboration and partnership, and the ability to create a sense of shared purpose.
The companies that get it right are those that demonstrate their care for and appreciation of employees by challenging them to become better people and professionals, and to strive for a collective goal. They create a culture that inherently tells each employee – no matter their job – that they are critical to the success of the organization, and then they provide opportunities to contribute. In addition to telling employees they are outstanding, companies should actually help them to be outstanding and recognize and reward them for doing so.
It’s okay to keep the sign on the door. Just be sure that your actions speak louder than the words.
I welcome your comments.
Craig Hodges
Cool story, Craig. I would have stopped to take that picture too. Although words can be very encouraging, I agree with you that there needs to be action as well. A great way to find out how engaged your employees are is to conduct an employee engagement survey. The findings from this survey will in turn educated managers on what they may need to improve for their employees.
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