How to . . . Restore humanity to the workplace

MANY employees talk about how, despite much lip service being paid to the concept, “humanness” is a scarce resource in many South African organisations and often viewed as undesirable and counter to the main object of business — to turn a profit.

Aiden Choles, managing director of The Narrative Lab consultancy, says that, instead of viewing a company as a machine in which employees are cogs, companies can develop a symbiotic relationship with their employees. Here is his advice on the matter:

Companies that treat their employees insensitively tend to have a higher staff turnover. Exit interviews will show that people are leaving because they feel they are being badly treated, mostly by a manager;

The biggest difference can be made through managers who can, for example, take care in the conversations they have with employees. Research shows that people leave managers, not organisations, so the companies that retain their star employees will be the ones that encourage and enable managers to develop fulfilling relationships built on healthy conversations with their subordinates;

When people are asked why they like working for a particular company or manager, the words that most often come up are “respect” and “honour”. The difference between respect and honour is that respect is earned, but honour is given. To instill humanity in an organisation, employees need to feel a sense of worth when engaging in tasks and in the interaction with colleagues and leaders; and

When organisations recognise and celebrate employees’ efforts and allow them to find meaning in their work, they develop an environment in which people can be fulfilled and where they are not afraid to dream, make mistakes and grow. — Margaret Harris