What you do matters.
What you do at work matters to your co-workers.
It matters to your administrators and bosses.
It matters to your clients and prospects.
It matters to your community.
It matters to your family.
What you do matters.
Sometimes we don’t hear it enough, or else we get into such a routine of getting up, going to work, coming home, and doing it all over again the next day that we forget to really appreciate the effort we put into our working hours and the successes and impacts that result from it.
And all the work stuff matters, whether we we’re fresh out of college and starting a career in the lower levels of the department or experienced professionals climbing through the ranks.
Having pride in your work will not only improve the quality of your work, but it will also improve the successes of your company!
According to Smarp, an employee communications and advocacy platform, when employees have pride in their work and engage in their work, it does more than just create a happy workforce. Motivated, engaged employees also
· Increase workplace productivity and profitability. In fact, Smarp reports that companies with “high employee engagement” are 21% more profitable than companies with low employee engagement rates.
· Miss fewer days of work. Highly engaged workplaces have lower absenteeism—by 41%—over other workplaces.
· Stick around longer. Employees with low engagement, on the other hand, cost businesses more than $5,000 every time they leave a job! That’s according to a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, which concluded that businesses pay, on average, $4,129 on average to hire a new employee and nearly $1,000 to onboard him/her.
How you can help employees feel more engaged in their jobs and increase their sense of pride (and commitment to your organization)? In his blog for The American Management Association, John Baldoni, an internationally recognized leadership educator, suggests asking yourself these three questions:
How well do my employees understand what is expected of them?
Baldoni says, “Most companies do an excellent job of defining tasks, but sometimes fall short when explicating roles and responsibilities. When this occurs, employees may not know who does what or why.” Having a solid understanding of who does what helps prevent things from falling through the cracks and improves a company’s overall efficiency.
How well do my employees know how their work complements the greater whole?
A job well done can still feel unrewarding if an employee can’t see how his or her part fits into the big picture. Taking the time to show how an employee’s contribution helps the company succeed not only fills in the gap, but it also provides additional motivation to do well.
What can I do to foster more pride?
According to Baldoni, company mission statements that “recognize employee value are worthwhile, but it is the manager who brings them alive.” He suggests not just praising employees for good work, but praising them publicly, in front of other members of the team.
A job well done is often its own reward, but feeling like an important cog in the wheel—or helping others understand their importance in making that wheel turn—can have positive and lasting effects for you and for your company.