Happy employees and the success of a business.
With rigorous effort, at the ripe age of 10, I scrubbed away the last stain on the driver’s side floor mat of my father’s sedan. Working on cars was my father’s pastime passion whether it was his own, a friend’s, a relative’s, or even a stranger’s broken down on the side of the road. The recipients of his efforts declared that he was a natural and suggested he open his own shop. But the validation and recognition he received through their appreciative smiles and thank-you’s were all he needed. Nothing else.
So, I cleaned his vehicle that afternoon with my most critical eye, determined to present the cleanest, shiniest car my father had ever seen. When my father returned home I was beaming with pride ready to hear him “ooh and ahh” as he recognized my prize-worthy efforts. I was about to tell my father all about how I had researched the best way to remove stains, consulted an expert (my 14-year-old brother), and used the lessons Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel-san (“wax on, wax off”) to ensure I produced the finest looking vehicle in the neighborhood. But, before I could get all of that out I stopped after he opened the driver’s side door and lifted the car mat. What happened next became a memorable lesson in the importance of validation.
As the car mat lifted, it revealed a pattern of ground-in footprints canvassing the floorboard carpet. My heart sank with disappointment and defeat as I avoided eye contact with my father. I had forgotten to clean under the mats. Seeing my disappointment, Dad cupped my chin in his right hand and tilted it upwards so that our eyes met. “One setback does not define or diminish your worth or what you have accomplished,” he said. Though short and sweet, his words lifted me out of my self-inflicted punishment, and I grew in that moment. Not only were my efforts recognized, but I felt validated.
Validation is meaningful acknowledgment, or more specifically, it is the “act of affirming a person, or their ideas, feelings, actions, etc., as acceptable and worthy” (thank you www.dictionary.com!). It meant so much to me as a child, and I find it equally as important in my journey through adulthood. As adults we can choose to surround ourselves, personally and socially, with those who accept and validate us; however, we do not always have that luxury in the workplace – the place many of us spend much of our time. As such, I believe validation is a critical component in our professional lives as well. And I am not alone. According to a report from Globoforce’s WorkHuman Research Institute, “Bringing More Humanity to Recognition, Performance, and Life at Work,” validation (and recognition) are even more important to employees than compensation and benefits! They are key to employee satisfaction, high productivity, and reduced turnover.
What does validation in the workplace look like? It starts with simple acknowledgment. The mere act of greeting or acknowledging a person, making eye contact, and saying his/her name may seem like small gestures, but they pack a big wallop. This is especially true for those in leadership positions. While it can be changed through the culture, leaders often default to the assumed responsibility of initiating contact. Therefore, if a manager and employee cross paths and the manager does not look at, acknowledge, or address the employee in some manner it may be perceived that the employee is not worthy of the manager’s attention. If this happens repeatedly, it can shake the employee’s confidence regarding his/her value within the company, and eventually, performance may suffer. However, this situation can be easily avoided through some simple acknowledgments.
A simple concept to practice is to LAF:
Look and Listen: Make eye contact and ask questions, then genuinely listen to the other person’s thoughts, suggestions, opinions, etc.
Acknowledge: Be open to different viewpoints, and openly acknowledge the person’s thoughts and contributions.
Follow-through: If you agree to take some sort of action (send an email, meet over lunch or a cup of coffee, etc.) then follow-up quickly; if you learn about a hobby, children, or interests, circle back to the person in a few days, or the next time you engage each other, and ask about said hobby, children, etc.
Listening to your employees shows them that they have a voice. When you LAF with your team members, you give them a voice and demonstrate that their voice is important and impactful. And, as with most things, balance is essential – too much or too little devalues the effort.
Another leading factor in reduced turnover and employee satisfaction is the ability to be useful and make an impact. In other words, employees want to know that their expertise, skills, and contributions are valued – they want their efforts validated.
When gathering data for this article, a woman I interviewed shared a story about the absence of validation in her current role. Considered a top expert in her industry, she was hired on with her current employer to serve as the in-house expert in an undeveloped/unprecedented role. Initially, her expertise was welcomed, and her ideas were executed. Then, over time something happened. She was invited to the table less and less, her ideas were constantly challenged, and her ideas were being credited to others. She no longer felt important, needed, or validated, and as a result she is looking for alternate employment. When companies abandon their in-house experts often enough, it eventually leads to poor morale, increased turnover, and unbudgeted costs, which collectively evolve into an expensive cycle. Leaning on your employees’ expertise, experience, and skills will not only save companies hefty outsourcing costs, but validation also leads to happier and more loyal employees.
Happy employees also play a role in the success of the business. In "The State of the American Workplace" Gallop reports that “....happy, engaged employees lead to a 20% increase in sales.” Validation leads to happy employees and customers are attracted to businesses with happy employees. Whether it is offering a quick hello in passing, providing team members a voice, leaning on in-house expertise, or looking past the stains to see the clean car, validation is a necessary vehicle on the drive towards commercial, professional, and personal success.