How do businesses truly connect with their employees? Implementing systems, structures and procedures can be counterproductive, where employees feel alienated, and singled out for the wrong reasons.
In these instances, businesses should not underestimate the importance of fostering a sense of belonging.
This contributes enormously to employee wellbeing, and to a more harmonious atmosphere, where productivity can more easily thrive.
“It is not simply about making employees feel better,” advises Greg Searle MBE, Chief Innovation Officer for Keys Business Concierge, “because it impacts on an entire business and how effectively it meets its objectives.”
“A sense of belonging is the key to successful employee engagement, and to ensuring there is a shared sense of purpose in a business or organisation”
Different Responses
There is a human biological need to belong. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, belonging comes third, after self-actualisation and self-esteem in what people require for satisfaction and fulfilment.
Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs
“We scan our environment subconsciously, assessing whether it is safe or not,” says Greg. “This applies to the workplace too. As do our brain’s responses.”
The threat response, when social needs are not met, can have negative implications for workplace and for the overall culture there.
Resources for brain functions in the prefontal cortex, responsible for higher-level thinking and problem solving, are reduced. It receives less oxygen and glucose.
“However, this doesn’t slow brain activation down, but rather it accelerates, channelled into anxiety and faulty assumptions. The ultimate effect on a workplace culture can be toxic,” says Greg.
On the other hand, the reward response comes from situations where the individual feels safe and a sense of belonging.
“Instead of the employee’s individual striving for belonging having a negative impact, the reward response frees up their energy to focus on things like achieving.”
“If you satisfy your employees’ social needs by fostering a sense of belonging, you can have a fully engaged workforce that is highly productive”
Where Do Business Concierge Services Fit In?
A reward culture at work must be meaningful to be successful, and to improve employee engagement and help employees feel they belong.
“What if, in rewarding achievement, you could give employees something of lasting value to them?” Greg asks. “This is where business concierge services fit in.”
“Rather than being a luxury, concierge services can become a necessity, as a means of giving staff something back to both reward them and enable them to be more efficient and productive”
“It’s a way of expanding horizons, positively impacting on both their work and leisure time, and demonstrating, unequivocally, how much you value them,” Greg emphasises.
This sort of support can involve anything from booking reservations and appointments, to arranging travel. But it has a certain depth to it.
“It is about the human interface, and offering lasting convenience, personalised for the individual. And sends out a powerful signal that they are integral to the success of a business,” Greg concludes.
To discover how a business concierge service fits into your workplace reward culture, please call Keys Business Concierge on 0161 884 3300 or visit keys-business.com.
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