4 Ways to Show Your Team They Matter
The fourth essential in the Surgeon General's Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being is mattering at work.
Leaders can help employees feel a sense of dignity and meaning at work in the following ways:
Provide a Living Wage
Valuing an employee's contribution through a livable wage helps employees feel that they matter. When an employee’s pay is not within market range for a location, it perpetuates mental health challenges. The U.S. Surgeon General advocates that "Organizations must ensure that all workers are paid an equitable, stable, and predictable living wage before overtime, tips and commission, and that these wages increase as worker skills increase."
Engage Workers in Workplace Decisions
It is important to engage and empower employees to help them feel respected and valued at work. The U.S. Surgeon General shares that employers who engage employees improve their ability to reach organizational goals and objectives. Lisa Hannum offers "Organizations that successfully use strategic communication to engage employees in purpose, mission and values leverage open, collaborative two-way dialogue." Asking employees for feedback and being responsive to that feedback builds trust, keeps employees engaged and makes them feel like their voices matter.
Build a Culture of Gratitude and Recognition
Go beyond employee recognition week and demonstrate frequent appreciation to "build a culture where workers feel seen, respected, needed, and valued." Forbes author Caroline Castrillon offers a few ways for How to Create a Culture of Gratitude at Work. Here are ways that you can do that:
Start meetings with gratitude: ask the team to share something they are grateful for
Use creative tactics: institute a 30 day gratitude challenge or employee recognition board
Embrace those two little words: "thank you," often
Show how effort creates impact: post/publicize success stories
Connect Individual Work with Organizational Mission
Creating a sense of shared purpose among employees is essential to helping employees feel their work is meaningful and that they matter. Employees are more engaged and successful when they understand their organization's mission. Lisa Hannum suggests that organizations "should routinely share examples of their purpose or mission in action, report to employees on their progress toward the purpose or mission, and create engaging ways for employees to experience the values in action."