7 Easy Ways to Show Your Team Members You CARE

You already value your team members. They are your biggest asset. And you also know that they perform at their best when they feel like they are valued members of the team.

How can you make sure that they know they matter?

There are many ways you can show your people that you CARE about them, and you don’t need a huge budget to do it. This article presents 7 simple but effective actions you can take to demonstrate that you value your team members.

Why a Culture of CARE Matters in the Workplace

But first: Why worry about how your team members feel? In addition to your own desire to keep your team members happy, there is a strong business case for a culture of CARE. Research has found that:

• Feeling valued is linked to physical and mental health. Healthy workers tend to perform better.
• Feeling valued is one of the strongest drivers of employee engagement and job satisfaction. Team member engagement and job satisfaction, in turn, are strongly linked to work performance.
• Feeling valued also reduces attrition and increases retention. It helps you keep your best people and attract new talent.

Showing your team members that they matter to you is one of the most effective ways to hold on to good team members and draw out their best work.

7 Ways to Show Your Team Members You CARE

There are many ways you can show your team members that you CARE about them. Here are some ideas you can quickly implement to show your team that you have their back.

1. Make Mentorship Part of Your Culture

Mentorship doesn’t just help you develop leaders within your organization. It also fosters team member engagement.

When you make an effort to connect less experienced team members with more senior team members, they don't just develop skills. They also feel more connected to the company and can see that you’re invested in their success. Mentorship programs are a fantastic way to foster team engagement and demonstrate to your team members that they matter to you.

2. Be Honest and Transparent

Team members do best in work environments that practice honesty and transparency—even when it’s difficult. Being open and forthcoming with your team helps develop a culture of integrity in which they can thrive.

How can you embed integrity into your organization's culture? Start by:

• Clearly articulating honesty and transparency as company values
• Model open and respectful communication in the senior leadership team
• Provide avenues for open communication, whether it’s in person, via email, or through other avenues.

3. Find Weekly Ways to Practice Wellness

Healthy workers are more productive—an effective way to boost productivity over the long run is to help your team members stay well. Wellness activities do just that. And as a side benefit, these activities communicate to your team members that you CARE about their health.

A few easy ways to practice wellness in the workplace include:

• Organizing fitness challenges
• Encouraging meditation breaks
• Providing flu shots during flu season
• Offering nutritious snacks in shared spaces
• Turn meetings into walking meetings.

4. Celebrate Workplace Anniversaries

Work anniversaries are an excellent time to demonstrate to your team that their contributions are essential. Celebrating work anniversaries tells your more senior team members that the years they’ve worked towards your company's success have been well-spent. And it shows your newer team members that their long-term dedication will be recognized and valued.

These celebrations don’t have to be extravagant or extensive; they just need to be personal and meaningful.

5. Schedule Time for Off-the-Clock Chat

Google was famous for starting meetings with “trip reports”—a simple recounting of what meeting participants did on the weekend. If a team member had gone on a trip, they had to share their experience with the group. This was part of a larger strategy to help members of the team connect. Creating space for personal conversation before a meeting starts is a quick and easy way to demonstrate that you’re interested in your people on a personal level.

Another powerful option is to create social opportunities outside of work. Team-building exercises, after-work drinks, or even a company-wide retreat are all great ways to bring your team closer together, ensuring they feel valued.

6. Provide Team Members with the Benefits They Need

The research shows quite clearly that compensation matters when it comes to a team member's sense of job satisfaction. But it’s not just salary—benefits matter too.

A compelling strategy for demonstrating your team members' values is to offer them benefits that help them and their families live healthy lives. This includes a robust health insurance plan that is accessible and meets your team members' needs.

Not sure whether your current benefits package meets your team members' needs? OPOC can help you evaluate your current benefits package and see if it’s the right fit.

7. Provide Healthcare Advocates

As mentioned above, offering health insurance and other benefits is a powerful way to demonstrate to your team members that you CARE about them. Take it one step further by ensuring that they have access to health advocates.

Health insurance can feel overwhelming. Health advocates are individuals that help your team members navigate complex situations like healthcare claims. These advocates make it easy for your team members to understand their benefits and enjoy them to the fullest.

Healthcare advocates are just one of the services that we’re proud to provide at OPOC. It’s this kind of personalized CARE that has the largest impact on your team's well-being and engagement.

Don’t Wait to Show Team Members That They Matter

Team members that feel valued are happier, healthier and work harder. They are more engaged in the work and stick around longer—even when times get tough.

You already CARE about your team. Taking the time to show them that they matter can make all the difference. The above actions are just some examples of caring in the workplace that you can implement quickly and easily.

At OPOC, improving the lives of your team members is our business. We can help ensure that your team functions at its best. If you have any questions about OPOC.us or how we can help you CARE for your team members, give us a call at 800.724.8802!