We’ve written before about some of the important things to focus on within your company. Especially during COVID, relationships are being developed in a much deeper way. We’ve seen our coworkers kids on a zoom call, heard the dog barking in the background of a team meeting, and learned that virtual happy hours can be a pretty fun time with one another.
In developing relationships, it takes work. One of the critical components of any relationship is love and there’s been a ton of books and resources out there when it comes to this subject. Today, we want to go over the 5 love languages that you are probably familiar with only take a look at it through the lens of creating a compelling company culture where coworkers are loving one another. If you’re not familiar, they are Words of affirmation, Acts of Service, Giving or receiving Gifts, Spending Quality Time, and Physical Touch. Let’s take a deeper dive into each.
Words of Affirmation – These words can be something simple as a verbal thank you or a handwritten note but there is some skill around this as well. Gallup has outlined that giving praise within 7 days of a specific action is critical, so be mindful of your timing. Also, we’ve learned that giving generic praise such as “I appreciate you” has been overused in todays workplace. So, be sure to be specific! Instead of “I appreciate your work” say, “I thought you did a really good job on the Jones account. It was tricky with that funding problem, but your hard work overcame it. Thank you for that!” The more specific you can make it, the further it goes!
Acts of Service – These are things such as helping a co-worker through a project or putting resources towards a cause that is near and dear to their hearts. It’s no wonder that Community is one of the main pillars within a person’s wellbeing that needs to be focused on. By realizing that we are in this together, you can show care by coming alongside them for something they are passionate about. And do not feel like you can only do this by donating money, but maybe you can join their 5k training group for a race-for-a-cause and help them succeed!
Giving or Receiving Gifts – These are things like getting their order at Starbucks or having a team experience out at an event. If you know your team is putting in extra work or possibly putting in some extra effort recently, why not buy them lunch or possibly give a little extra to them? Or, try thinking outside the box by giving employees $10 or $20 to “pay it forward” during a Random Acts of Kindness initiative? This can bring about a stronger bond between others.
Spending Quality Time – You know what has always stumped me? During work hours, why do we never schedule a time to just sit and be with one another? Mostly, we look at either breaking bread together at lunch or having the occasional happy hour. Both are great ways to spend time together especially with it being outside the office, but I challenge you to take some time to just go and hang out with a coworker!
Appropriate Physical Touch – I can’t express this enough but appropriate is the key word in here. Let’s face it, with a virus and some people not understanding what appropriate is this is often the most overlooked language in the group. Things that can fall in here are things like a pat on the back, handshakes, and my personal favorite – the high five. You can even come up with an elaborate handshake or ritual within this! Get creative and have fun with it instead of it being avoided.
By focusing on having different ways to reach people on the individual, team, and organizational level and showing them love, you’ll be able to boost your company culture in a big way. By learning what works for your people, you can accomplish making that positive impact on their life! If you’d like to learn more, we’d love to discuss with you how to love your employees and team by Contacting Us!