Three ways to help your employees thrive!

Employees who thrive at work are not content with just showing up to work. They go above and beyond and are energized about their contribution to the organization.

In a study published in the Harvard Business Review, Gretchen Spritzer, professor of management and organizations at the Michigan Ross School of Business, found that employees who thrive demonstrated 16 percent better overall job performance and 125 percent less burnout than their peers. They were 32 percent more committed to the organization and 46 percent more satisfied with their jobs.

Employees that thrive are not only productive in what they do, but they find a deeper connection and meaning by engaging in their work.

They are on a mission to create better stories for their customers and colleagues.

Over the years, I had the opportunity to work with some thriving individuals.  Most recently, Joyce our Concierge Club attendant comes to mind as someone who is thriving every day.

Joyce has been our concierge club attendant since our hotel opened 14 years ago. She is not only one of the most efficient and productive employees we have in our company but also someone who is intentionally goes the extra mile for our customers.

Working in the Club Lounge is quite a task with making sure the food presentation is appealing to our guests and creating a sense of warm welcome.  Joyce is the poster child for a real southern hospitality.

Our loyal guests can’t stop raving about her. She is very personal and curious to know more about the customer families and just helping them unwind for the day with their favorite drink.

Joyce created those magical connections by carrying a small pocket notebook to keep track of every customer she comes into contact with.

She makes it a point to write down their favorite snack and drinks. She also remembers the customer children’s names and if they have a pet at home that they are missing from the out of town trip.

The Club Lounge is her “stage.” She is performing by creating emotional connections with the customers. As a result, it’s just not another at the office. For Joyce, she thrives on creating memorable moments through her work.

Thriving employees feel energized by the ability to create moments that people can tell other people about. They create meaningful connections for others. As a leader, all of us would like to clone Joyce (I know I want to) to have a thriving workforce in our organization.

Here are some suggestions on how we can lead a culture of a thriving work place:

Create more meaning and purpose-When you can link a job into a personal meaning and purpose, people can feel there is a something bigger than themselves. How is their work impact people’s lives and the organization? Why their contribution matter?

Create positive energizing connections-Thriving employees want to feel connected and energized by the relationships they have. As leaders, we can lead by example, cultivating positive engagement with the people on our team-Being genuinely interested and telling them they matter.

Create a culture of learning and growth-Thriving employees enjoy coming into work when they feel they can learn and grow.  This is where leaders can help by creating a culture of sharing new knowledge and teach people new skills. Employees that learn and stretch their knowledge, set in motion an upward spiral of growth.

As a leader, how do you help your employees thrive?