The term “human resources management” is essential in business. But have you noticed that the majority of the literature about the topic focuses on the “resources” and the “management” aspects but barely addresses the “human” element? As a result, most managers see their employees as resources to be managed, and not as a whole person who can contribute so much more.
Managing the whole person means acknowledging that everyone is multidimensional and has numerous roles to balance in life—all of which affect job performance. However, this goes much deeper than simply work/life balance. It’s about recognizing all aspects of an employee to ensure a work/life “fit” that benefits the company and each individual.
In fact, when you focus on the whole person rather than just on an employee’s work performance, you build more meaningful connections with employees, which results in greater loyalty and productivity. Following are some suggestions for better managing the whole employee.
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See the Input, Not Just the Output, of Each Employee
When managing the whole person, you need to look beyond the person’s job description. Look beyond the output (the deadlines, the expectations, and the day-to-day job duties) and start looking at the input factors, as these determine the quality of the output.
Input factors are the drivers and drainers in the employees’ lives that affect their job performance. Some typical input factors include:
- The employee’s best time of day to get work done
- What’s going on in the employee’s family
- The employee’s physical, mental, and emotional health
- Other stressors the employee has, such as being a caregiver to aging parents, being pregnant, being the only income-earner in the home.
- What community or hobby events the employee is committed to
Basically, it’s about paying attention to all of the different drivers and drainers of what motivates employees to either perform at the level of acceptable performance, to go above and beyond an acceptable level of performance, or to underperform to expectations. Because all of the various inputs affect the overall output, being aware of the input makes good business sense.
Acknowledge that Everyone is Multidimensional
Many managers believe that finding out about their employees’ lives outside of the work role is intrusive. They do not want to ask personal questions for fear of appearing nosey. The good news is that you do not have to ask questions to find out about people. You simply have to acknowledge the clues that are all around you.
For example, if you see photos of children in someone’s office, you do not have to ask, “Are those your kids?” You can simply comment, “Those are beautiful children.” With that one acknowledgment, most people will open up, tell you who the children are, and offer lots more personal information.
Likewise, if you see sports gear stashed away in a corner of someone’s cubicle, you don’t have to ask, “Do you play tennis [or whatever sport is evident]?” Instead, you can comment, “I’ve always been interested in tennis.” Again, the person will naturally start talking about the sport, the team or league she is on, her accomplishments, and so much more.
While it is true that most people do not want to sit through a session of 20 questions with their manager, they do enjoy being acknowledged—not just for their work but also for their other interests.
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In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll we get more advice from Dr. Marty Martin, and we’ll explore a whole library of interactive management training courses available online now.
Dr. Marty Martin, PsyD, known for his state-of-the-art content presented in an engaging, dynamic fashion, has been speaking and training nationally and internationally for many years. His second book, Taming Disruptive Behavior, was published by The American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) in late 2013. He is currently working on his third book, Do You Have Career Insurance? Dr. Martin is the Director of the Health Sector Management MBA Concentration and Associate Professor in the College of Commerce at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. For more information to obtain a free chapter of Do You Have Career Insurance? please visit www.drmartymartin.com.