“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe¹

Carl saw his chief walking toward him in the office hallway and mentally prepared a quick greeting. As part of an agency of over 5,000 employees, Carl realized his chief likely did not know him by name. While approaching, the chief did not make eye contact with Carl. Instead, he walked by not only without speaking to Carl but also without even acknowledging him.² Carl was caught off guard by what he deemed a dismissal and felt demoralized. Unfortunately, his coworkers repeatedly had commented that they experienced similar interactions with the chief.

Situations like this one occur all too often between leaders and their personnel. Rather than risk losing good people, leaders must communicate to employees that they care.

Employee Engagement

Recent research shows a decline in employee engagement, and one of the elements falling the most was “feeling cared about at work.”³ Personnel who feel engaged likely show a deeper commitment to their agency, coworkers, and leaders. They may have a more positive attitude that results in a willingness to collaborate and compromise in what otherwise could become difficult situations. Such employees will be more driven to accomplish the organization’s mission and vision as well as work diligently to ensure the agency’s success.

Engaged employees are more self-motivated, optimistic, and resilient. These positive traits result in rational thinking and decision-making with the likelihood of a growth mindset to also keep them encouraged.

Opportunities for Communication

Leaders should seek opportunities to communicate with employees. Occasions may arise that make it easy to do so, as in the opening scenario. Regardless of the chief’s reason for not acknowledging one of his employees, the results could have negative consequences down the road beyond those resulting from that quick incident with one person. Even if the chief was busy or preoccupied, taking a few moments to show he cared enough to greet the employee would have gone a long way.

When leaders have a reputation for ignoring or not caring about personnel, negative aftereffects can include lack of engagement, productivity, trust, and respect. Stories and anecdotes travel quickly through offices among staff, and their aftermath can have lingering effects long after those leaders have moved on.

Leaders should consider what their actions are speaking. Key factors to ponder regarding the culture of caring they are (or are not) creating include:

• Are you paying attention to your employees?
• Are you getting to know them?
• Are you helping them develop?
• Are you acknowledging their hard work?
• Are you displaying your loyalty to them?
  

If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, leaders can dig deeper by asking themselves, “How am I doing this? Could I do more or approach this differently to be more effective?” One valuable way to answer these questions is simple: ask employees.

Leaders should regularly meet with everyone who reports to them, even if time permits only doing so every 6 to 12 months. This means more than meeting with managers and supervisors; it means scheduling time with the rank-and-file.

Climate/employee surveys can also offer key insights for leaders to better understand employees’ perceptions. Leaders should review turnover rates and determine reasons for employee departures. Further, they should analyze how many people are applying to agency vacancies, evaluating these results for both sworn and nonsworn positions and specific divisions or squads. Any glaring disparities should be more closely examined, and leaders should consider talking with employees currently in those positions.

Conclusion

Leaders must recognize not only the impact of employee engagement in their organization but also how showing they truly care about their personnel influences productivity and morale. As a leader, what are your actions telling employees? Are you taking time to get to know them and understand what they need to perform at their peak?

Whatever methods leaders choose to communicate, they must be sincere. Being authentic is key. Leaders should not depend mainly on supervisors and managers providing information up the chain. Rather, they must communicate with all employees, which includes greeting personnel in the physical office spaces where employees consider them their leader. “The leaders who get the most out of their people are the leaders who care most about their people.”⁴

Endnotes

¹ “Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Quotes,” AZ Quotes, accessed July 12, 2023, https://www.azquotes.com/author/5628-Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe.
² Male pronouns are used in this article for illustration.
³ Jim Harter, “U.S. Employee Engagement Needs a Rebound in 2023,” Gallup, January 25, 2023, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/468233/employee-engagement-needs-rebound-2023.aspx.
⁴ “Simon Sinek,” Quotefancy, accessed July 12, 2023, https://quotefancy.com/quote/1415622/Simon-Sinek-The-leaders-who-get-the-most-out-of-their-people-are-the-leaders-who-care.