Small Actions, Big Impact: Nurturing Employee Relationships

Running a successful business comes with many responsibilities like finding the right fit leads, ensuring existing client needs are met, and of course, managing employees to keep your business in motion. It’s easy for business leaders to get caught up in a feeling of urgency around successfully managing new business and existing client, but then fail give the human resource side of things its proper priority.

Overlooking the employee relationships for too long can lead to problems down the road. Especially if you have a mix of remote employees. Our virtual world today is already causing rampant feelings of societal disconnection. The last thing you want is for that to have an impact on your company culture and productivity.

What if we told you there were simple actions you could take on a regular basis to make sure your team stays engaged and motivated?

A Harvard Business Review Article shared that 40% of American employees would put more into their work if they were recognized more often. Imagine the positive impact on your company if 40% more of your employees put more energy into their efforts.

Taking Care Of The Heart Of Your Business

Employees are among the most important relationships you manage in your entire business. They experience your business firsthand, and their feelings toward their work can affect client relationships. So how do we make sure they feel valued and want to return those sentiments to the people they serve?

For the answer, let’s draw upon some established social psychology. In a 2007 paper, renowned social psychologist Harry T. Reis shared that one of the critical elements of forming and maintaining lasting relationships is called perceived responsiveness. Perceived responsiveness is the idea that for a relationship to thrive, individuals need to feel understood, validated, and cared for. Given that employee relationships are vital to the success of your business, it would make sense to apply this concept.

When employees feel understood, validated, and cared for they are more likely to develop emotional loyalty to your company. This loyalty acts as a magnet, attracting more opportunities for success. It spreads the joy they have for working with you to your clients and the prospects they engage with as well.

Create Emotional Connections with Your Team

One of the first steps to creating emotional connections with employees is acknowledging and celebrating your them. Where are the opportunities to express gratitude for their hard work or celebrate something meaningful in their lives?

Consider the insights shared by Kristen Ireland and Erin Mies of People Spark Consulting in their article, "This Simple Strategy for Giving Feedback Can Help Your Business Flourish”. They emphasize that making employees feel valued and appreciated through feedback can ignite positive sparks in your business.

Feedback, when delivered thoughtfully, can enhance an employee's sense of being understood and validated. According to People Spark Consulting, feedback doesn't have to feel negative. Purposeful and constructive feedback, whether positive or critical, can leave employees feeling inspired and motivated. It also helps them better understand your expectations, making them feel more aligned with the company's goals.

Our clients often express uncertainty about how to acknowledge their employees. Rather than seizing the moment to show appreciation, they let it pass. However, understanding the basics of perceived responsiveness—showing that you understand, validate, and care—can guide you in these moments.

Format For a Lasting a Message of Gratitude

People Spark Consulting introduces a simple three-part method for feedback called "BIT"—Behavior, Impact, and Tomorrow. This method aligns perfectly with the principles of perceived responsiveness:

Behavior: Acknowledge the specific behavior or effort.

Impact: Explain why this behavior is valued and its positive impact.

Tomorrow: Express how you see this behavior contributing to future success.

If you’re writing a birthday card using the BIT method, it might look like this:

James,

We appreciate how hard you continue to work day in and day out (behavior). You do so much for this business, and we can’t express enough how much we appreciate your efforts! (impact) We can’t wait to see what else the future holds for you in this business and look forward to continuing having you as part of our team! (tomorrow). Happy Birthday from your family at The Expressory!

Your Team

You can apply this format to other messages as well, such as a thank-you note or business anniversary card:

Kelly,

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your help with organizing our team meeting (Behavior). All your efforts allowed the leadership team to focus on some important initiatives we couldn’t have done without your ownership of the event (Impact). We’ll continue to look for more opportunities to enable your creativity and planning skills to shine bright and look forward to watching your success (Tomorrow).

Liz

The BIT format, rooted in the principles of perceived responsiveness, provides structure for sharing gratitude and feedback. This approach not only builds stronger relationships with your employees but also contributes to a more positive and productive work environment.

At The Expressory, we understand that relationships are the cornerstone of any successful business. By applying the principles of perceived responsiveness, you can create a working environment where your employees feel understood, validated, and cared for—leading to greater emotional loyalty and overall success.

If you need some guidance on acknowledging your team or creating a system to improve your employee relationships long term, feel free to bring your questions to one of our upcoming Q&A sessions for discussion. Or schedule a one-on-one conversation