What is corporate kindness?
With World Kindness Day upon us, now more than ever, employees need to feel valued by companies in an authentic and consistent way.
2021 is drawing to a close and, looking back, the recent years have blurred past everyone. Workforces have been through a global pandemic; an unsettling economy; as well as a new hybrid way of working resulting in digital fatigue. You wouldn’t blame your colleagues for having a general sense of ‘Oh dear, what’s next?’
As 2022 beckons, there will certainly be a sense of optimism that will ring through the air. However, how much faith will employees have that there are signs of something better and more settling on the horizon?
“It starts with this: kindness. Not being nice. Not being agreeable. But being kind. Yes, there is a difference. Kindness is about showing empathy and understanding, and about focusing on the relationship.”
It is time to bring corporate kindness to the forefront.
The major difference is that kindness is real and tangible and allows for making a genuine attempt to value your people: your managers, your colleagues, the people you work with.
That is ultimately at the heart of what Open Communication stands for. We look to assist clients by helping them on their journey towards consistently reaching out to their employees, in a meaningful way, and more importantly, authentically. We know how important it is to build solutions that will not merely plug a hole or tick a box. It’s all about setting our clients up for success both today and in the long-run.
And whilst that’s all well and good, it only counts if those solutions are designed to help change people’s lives, amidst their busy and pressurized daily workloads.
“It’s about bringing ‘corporate kindness’ to the people.”
For example, do you think it’s kind to roll out a strategy by putting something together that’s long and detailed, sending it out in an email and then telling people this is now the way we do things?
What if you could delight them, instead? What if you could build a virtual strategy house for them so they could learn about where the business is going, in a fun and interactive way?
“Show them that you care. Then they’ll start caring as well. “
Bringing something together like this in a real or virtual environment, within a multichannel, multisensory experience, is no longer a far-fetched idea. It is known as immersive communication and it is an exciting new chapter in employee engagement. Ultimately, companies can rollout their strategy in a different yet captivating manner. The possibilities are endless- you can create spaces and experiences that are impossible to build in real life.
There are many other ways to show your employees that you care and that you truly want to engage with them. Building leadership kits to empower managers to have the right conversations with their teams. Or fostering a champions network to consistently and effectively reinforce key messages throughout your business. Exciting opportunities beckon and Open Communication has years of experience with global clients to bring these all to life.
It’s been a tough period for many. The ‘great resignation’ is here and valuable employees want to be valued. So, next time you’re fortunate enough to be in the office and around potential human interaction, wave, smile or stop to ask someone how they are. You never know how you can change someone’s day.
And, if you want to change someone’s journey and experience at your company, reach out to us. We’d love to start the conversation with you.
Until then, be kind.