I placed a call to a healthcare company today. As is often the case, I was assisted by a call center employee. A couple of minutes into our call I heard a baby crying and the customer service rep said she’d look into my question and I could tell she muted me. Less than a minute later she came back and let me know she’d have to take another action. I heard the baby again and she muted me again. When she came back I told her she doesn’t have to mute herself! I told her that I know she’s working at home, many of us are, and that’s certainly not an issue for me. She then admitted that she’s new to the organization and a customer had complained about the baby noise! I was so stunned that I couldn’t respond immediately. I had to hold back tears. When I gathered my emotions, I told her how sorry I was to hear that. I had to hold back tears. Really? We’re all just trying to survive this chaotic, frightening, and difficult time and a customer complained! And the company passed it along to the employee instead of supporting her!? She admitted she’s fearful and just doesn’t want to get in any more trouble. I asked her a few different times if there’s a phone number or email for customer service that I could reach out to and let them know about the exceptional customer service I received from her (because she skillfully resolved my issue). Unfortunately, each time her answer was “unfortunately no.” I commend you. For all of you out there working at home while caring for parents, children, or partners, I commend you for doing everything you can to make it work. I commend you for taking care of your loved ones. I commend you for helping your organization get through this difficult time. I commend you for being there for ME, the customer, who needed assistance. I commend you for helping the economy recover. A call out to all leaders. And, for those of you who lead companies. Please, show compassion for your employees. This should be a given—always—but most certainly now. This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on August 10, 2020 based on an experience I had that compelled me to write about it.
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Do you know how engaged your employees are? If your organization’s employee engagement mirrors results from the Gallup’s 2017 State of the American Workplace report, it’s just 33%. That leaves a whopping 67% who are not engaged – including 16% who are actively disengaged. In fact, these employees may actually be working against your organization’s interests! Have you ever been disappointed or even frustrated by an employee’s or colleague’s actions, or lack thereof? Maybe you have an employee who frequently fails to submit his weekly reports. Or perhaps you work with a colleague who spends meeting time with her face buried in her phone. On the flip side, it’s equally as annoying to be pestered and micromanaged by a leader who doesn’t know a more effective way to ensure that people follow through on their commitments. Coach Lisa recently joined Michael S. Seaver on his podcast series, "Equal Chance to Be Unequal," to talk about employee engagement. Click here to listen to the full episode on Michael's website. Approximately half of all women will experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Recent headlines illustrate how pervasive and damaging this is to the individuals affected, as well as to the organizations where they were harassed. Do you and your company know what constitutes sexual harassment? Are you at risk? And what can you do to ensure an engaging and supportive workplace that allows everyone to perform their best? |
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My greatest joy is helping people make bold transitions in their professional and personal lives! Archives
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