Personally Connecting with Employees

It’s essential that leaders ensure their employees are connecting with the company at the executive level. At Marco, this starts on day one. 

I personally meet with every employee as a part of our orientation process.During the meeting, I intentionally share personal information first in an effort to make the employee feel comfortable and initiate an open dialogue. I share things about my family, my hobbies and interests, and my own career path. Employees seem to be interested and they become more open to sharing their own personal interests and experiences. This develops a connection and supports our philosophy of work-life balance.

Often times I receive an email from new employees expressing their appreciation for the time spent together. One recently shared, “I just have to say that I'm very impressed with your connection you have with your Marco employees. …  I just am so impressed that you take the time to meet each employee, so thanks for that. I'm very excited about my career at Marco.” Selfishly it’s a good practice, but I really do enjoy the time to connect with our newest team members.  

Ways to Connect
The blog topic of my employee connections was suggested by a co-worker because they felt it is a hallmark of the Marco culture. I had not really thought about it as necessarily a best practice, so I had to think about specific ways to share the concept. Here is what I came up with:

  • Get personal: I’m not afraid to share details about my life and like to know our employees on a personal level as well. I encourage them to be open and understand they have a life beyond work. An employee called me the day before Thanksgiving to tell me she would be late to our meeting because she was preparing the turkey to roast for the day and couldn’t find the gravy packet inside the bird. I laughed and appreciated her honesty.

  • Engage outside of the office: I recently spent an evening with some employees and their spouses at the Holly Ball fundraiser for the CentraCare Foundation. Community activities like this are the perfect opportunity to get to know employees – and their families. I also like to invite employees to Twins games and frequently participate with them at local golf fundraisers. Whether it’s at the grocery store, the mall, the gym, or a restaurant, I always make it a point to say "hello" and introduce myself to their spouse or kids.
  • Unexpected acts of kindness: I don’t get to take all of our employees out to lunch so when I find myself eating dinner at the same restaurant as an employee, I pull their server aside and pick up their table’s tab. It’s my way of saying, “Thank you. I’m glad you’re on our team.”

  • Send personal notes: Whether it’s a job well done or a loss of a family member, I make it a point to send handwritten notes to our employees to show them I care. I’m a “clipper” so when I read about an employee or their family in some publication, I clip it out and put it in their mail box with a note. I want them to know I am thinking about them – because I am.

  • Be genuine: None of this matters if you are not truly interested in getting to know the employee.

As we have grown as a company, it has become more difficult to know every employee at every location. But when I plan a visit, I make it a point to study up. That may mean calling ahead to the local manager to reacquaint me with the team members at that office. I want to be able to walk in the door, and to the best of my ability, call everyone by name.

We recently made a significant investment in a video conference system that should make it easier for me to get to know employees at remote locations and connect with them “face-to-face” on a more regular basis.

The ROI
I have learned that attracting and retaining good people starts – and ends – with a comfortable relationship. Developing personal connections with employees not only makes work more fun, but it promotes a high-performing attitude. I believe our employees are more committed to doing their best and do not see their work at Marco as a job, but as their career.

Topics: Leadership, Culture