MARCH 20209 Leadership messages/cascades from the top. Communication of leadership messages should be less about sending mails and more about team huddles where the style is much more interactive. Organisa-tions should aim for periodic col-league briefing sessions not just to share information but also to take ideas to develop plans together on how we can improve the workplace. Openness to both negative and positive feedback ­ Conversations should take place in such a way that it is constructive with openness to both negative and positive feedback, regardless of designation. This is what will foster an environment that allows individuals to grow. Focus on the Right MessagesMore than just choosing various modes of communication, focusing on giving employees the right mes-sages with radical honesty is import-ant. Organisations must make great efforts to communicate what is go-ing on if they are to be heard and be-lieved. Communication efforts must focus on achieving the following: Instilling a sense of pride in the employee for the company they work with. If this is achieved, em-ployees will be proud to tell others where they work. They will be aware and value what the company stands for. Making work meaningful - This involves helping employees with their careers and understanding that not all career paths are built the same. Developmental experiences at work, strong training programs, re-imbursed tuition for education out-side of work along with active, well-thought out platforms for mentoring can provide pathways for non-traditional career paths. Eliminating the need for work-life balance - Under-stand that people have lives outside of work, and that these lives might sometimes impinge on (or even take over) their time and attention. It's not just about providing a few flexi-ble work options (a first necessary step though), but how we let em-ployees be the same person at home and at work and thus moving away from the need for balance. It is give and take, not give or take.Recognize Diversity ­ Not Just In Gender & AgeWe too often confine ourselves to the traditional diversity categories of gender, age and the like. These ef-forts are laudable, but this is some-thing more subtle ­ differences in perspectives, habits of mind and core assumptions. We are moving from traditional diversity trainings/discussions to talking about `uncon-scious bias'. It is a bias that happens automatically and is triggered by our brain making quick judgments and assessments of people and sit-uations, influenced by our back-ground, cultural environment and personal experiences. See Fun & Humour as AlliesAny company that's striving to be a great place of work sees fun & hu-mor and relaxation not as the ene-mies of hard work, but as its allies. I have seen many companies trying to project manage this aspect by put-ting `committees' together. While in some cases, these may work, this formal approach of forming a `com-mittee' takes the fun away! It's about employees coming together and de-ciding what they would like to do ­ from meditation groups (yes, med-itation can be fun!), Zumba classes, to just gathering together for a meal.The post 2000 era may give an impression of machines replacing all human jobs, but it is undeniable that good human resources man-agement will be a necessity for the sustenance of companies for many years to come. Being a `Great place to work' starts with the intention to build a positive workplace en-vironment that should carry on for many years to come. Any company that's striving to be a great place of work sees fun & humor and relaxation not as the enemies of hard work, but as its alliesKrity Sharma
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