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Employers play a key role in creating and sustaining a caring workplace culture, from implementing supportive employee benefits to demonstrating empathetic leadership.
“The workplace is incredibly important to all of us in terms of connection and a sense of identity,” says Dr. Christine Tugman, vice president of holistic wellness, health and productivity at Prudential. “But we get so caught up in all the goals we set out to achieve from a business perspective that we forget about the humanity. How can we create a culture that supports our employees, no matter what’s going on in their lives?”
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Small touches can go a long way in bridging the connection gap. Tugman points to one of her studies, which looked at the return-to-work experiences of employees who had been off work for at least 45 days for health reasons. One respondent reported that despite having been with the company for 22 years, not a single coworker had reached out to her during her time off. This, she says, prolonged her disability. Connections with coworkers are just as important as connections between managers and employees, Tugman says.
“[We] “It’s not always clear what to say and what not to say,” she said. “It really just comes down to, ‘How are you? We care about you. We’re here if you need us.’ That makes a big difference.”
