iC3 Consulting – a firm that brings mindfulness and imagination, backed by brain science, to the workplace to improve employee engagement.
When you see those annual rankings of the best places to work, do you find yourself wondering what it would take for your company to make the list? In this 6-part series learn the necessary ingredients that we’ve come to term the ACE model of engagement and leadership, which include awareness & alignment, creativity & communication, and lasting employee engagement, with a foundation of safety & trust.
Each article and video is short and sweet with quick tips and actions steps so you can start implementing these strategies today.
The ACE Model
safety & trust
awareness + alignment = insightful companies
communication + creativity = innovative collaboration
lasting employee engagement = intentional culture
Why are psychological safety and trust the starting place? They are the building blocks that are needed for people to bring their whole selves to work – necessary for a fully functioning and engaged workforce.
When employees feel safe, they feel like they can share their ideas – even the ones that aren’t always implemented. Trust is established through transparency, or clearly defined expectations and established communication patterns practiced by all. These are the launching pad for happiness at work.
(Want to learn what is happening in the brain that necessitates safety being the starting place? Click here.)
Imagine a workplace bully. (Unfortunately, this usually is not too hard to conjure.) When employees start to feel threatened by a co-worker, especially if the company is small, they begin to dread coming to work for fear they will be insulted and provoked, or that their job is in jeopardy if that person is in a position of power. Suddenly, you no longer have a team that is working together. Employees do not feel safe or trusting. Rather, they are working from a place of fear and anticipation.
Take this moment and truly pause. Reflect. How many people and/or teams can you identify that are currently operating from a place of fear – not having their needs for safety met? (If this question is difficult for you to answer, click here for more information about awareness at work.)
Quick Tips for safety, transparency and trust in the workplace to address high turnover, low productivity and lack of innovation.
- What would your employees need to feel more secure at work? Ask them. Not feeling secure often leads to a dramatic reduction in engagement.
- Are there established methods for effective communication that are practiced and reinforced regularly within your workplace? If not, use this as a starting point.
This Week’s Action Steps:
- Make note of what you do in your company to instill safety & trust?
- What is one thing can you do to increase safety & trust within your company this week?
