You don’t want a workforce of wimps, but rather employees who are truly self secure. If you think about it, this translates in profitability. If team morale is low, the bottom line suffers. Furthermore, an organization is like a family. If disagreements and arguments override loyalty, the bottom line suffers. To correct all this, you have to induce personal growth. A mentally strong workforce adds, rather than detracts, from the overall happiness of the company.
Personal Health
Encourage employees to live healthy lifestyles. Many companies even have a weight gym, where employees can work out. Other companies offer subsidized membership to a local gym. Inquire to your accounting department if it’s feasible to provide health club services. Furthermore, offer some type of stop smoking program. This may include having them visit a company appointed physician, who can counsel them on how to quit.
Professional Relationship Building
A part of personal growth is how to get along. You may want to institute programs in how to deal with conflicts. You understand that disagreements do happen, but how the disagreement is resolved is the key. Perhaps you could have trained conflict professionals come in, and offer speeches and group counseling to employees on conflict resolution.
Diversity and Inclusion
All employees come from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Employees must understand the differences, and how to go about respecting different cultures. A good way to promote diversity and inclusion is to develop resources, such as pamphlets, that explain the company policy, which is that everybody is treated without prejudice or discrimination. A zero-tolerance policy should be adopted as well.
Religion and Spirituality
This is a “tricky” area. You neither want to encourage, nor discourage, any sort of religious involvement. However, religion is a way to develop growth on a personal level. To develop this area, ask your legal department how you can legally state that you will not discriminate against personal religious activity. For example, if an employee needs a day off because of religious beliefs, your legal department should have written policies on what you can and can’t do.
Personal Crisis Lines
In everybody’s life, crisis situations do develop. If an employee is having difficulties, a personal crisis line should be available. Display it in public areas that an employee has this benefit available. Stipulate that no information will be shared with the company, but that the professionals who are at the crisis center know how to counsel to realistic resolutions.
Ombudsman Program
Many companies have an Ombudsman on the staff. This person answers questions, and serves as the “know-it-all” in the company. If any associate of the company has a question or concern, they can ask the Ombudsman, who can find an answer for them.
Open Door Policy
Your company should have an open door policy. This states that an employee is free to discuss any concern with management, without fear of repercussion or reprisal. All issues brought forth should be addressed, and the employee should be treated with dignity and fairness.
As you can see, there is no one “magic-bullet” that covers everything. Having well rounded employees takes work and diligence. Your employees should know that the company wholeheartedly encourages personal growth, and has the resources to help them along the way.