How to Encourage Your Employees to Live Your Values
Nearly every company has a set of corporate values that help build a strong foundation and a healthy company, but far fewer live out those values every day. Leaders often say that though they wish their teams lived out company values, they don’t know how to help their employees make the connection. These strategies can help encourage employees to prioritize what the company does.
Talk About Your Values Regularly
Don’t assume your employees will know—or know where to find—your company values. If you want people to live these out, you must talk about them regularly, like in your daily team meeting. When there are problems that need to be solved, encourage employees to use your company values as a lens through which they should approach a solution. Finally, display your values around the office in the form of wall art and/or mini posters employees can hang in their cubes or offices to remind them to live out company values every day.
Peer Recognition Programs
Supervisors and managers should recognize employee achievements but there is something special about being recognized by a peer. Develop a recognition and rewards program centered around corporate values. Encourage employees to submit “cheers for their peers” when they see someone living them out in their day-to-day. Whoever has the most cheers per quarter and/or year should be formally recognized or given an award.
Hire For Values Alignment
You can’t build a workforce that lives out corporate values unless you hire people whose own values are in alignment. If an employee’s values are completely misaligned, not only will they not live out your values, but they will also be unhappy and unproductive at work.
You can hire for values alignment by understanding the personality traits that are associated with your core values and developing a list of interview questions designed to assess a candidate’s overall fit. Someone who doesn’t live and breathe your corporate values won’t perform to their potential and ultimately, they may look for another job.
Looking For Employees Who Live Your Values?
Hiring for values alignment is part art and part science. If you are hiring new employees and want to make sure you’re striking the right balance, contact The Reserves Network to help achieve your goals.
