Getting Employees to Respond Positively is the second in a series on Meaningful Workplaces.

Meaningful Workplaces are built by companies that aim to produce a more meaningful outcome from, and for, their people.

To become meaningful, these companies adopt a new stance vis-à-vis their relationship with their employees. They strive to reduce the distance that’s been imposed through organization structures and prevailing attitudes. They seek stronger emotional connections up, down, and across their enterprise. They see their task as making their company fit for the future by making it fit for humans.

They create a Meaningful Workplace master plan that defines their compelling reason for being, identifies how they want to leave people feeling, and states how they wish the company and its employees will behave.

Building an organizational master plan

They use the resulting master plan to create a common ground of understanding, respect, and ambition. The master plan then serves as the foundation for other initiatives designed to realize a business’ ambition, feelings, and behavior, including:

• “Macro plans” that adapt the company’s structure, policies, and procedures;
• “Mini plans” that engage groups of employees; and,
• “Micro plans” that engage employees individually.

These initiatives inspire employees to align their intent, attitudes, behaviors, and actions to the meaningful outcome the business seeks. As this kicks into action and becomes increasingly contagious within the workplace, the work experience fundamentally changes for the better, from top to bottom, across silos, disciplines, borders, and cultures.

Employees respond positively to a Meaningful Workplace

As a company transforms the way it reaches out to their employees, their employees change the way they respond back to the company.

Employees eagerly engage in the work at hand, align with the company strategies, collaborate with one another, and contribute their energy and skills. They confidently deal with peers, prospects, customers, partners, and suppliers. They proudly tell their family and friends about the company they work for.

And all the other people vital to the business’ success (customers, partners, suppliers, investors, community leaders, influencers) start to sense, appreciate, and are drawn toward the new spirit of shared ambition that emanates positively from the business.

Did you miss Part 1 of this series? — Being Meaningful: It’s the Key to Better Engaging Your Employees

This series is excerpted from a white paper titled The Meaningful Workplace that was first published at Emotive Brand.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.