TRENDS
TRENDS
Emotional Velcro
to simply changing direction on what the focus is on the work assignment without any notice. What are some of those shifts that you’ve seen when leaders can start to think along these lines? Well, the most immediate one, is retention goes up. They keep more people. People are more likely to stay if they’re in an environment their brain feels safe in. The other thing that happens is productivity goes up. When employees are engaged, they’re more productive. So, I increase retention, I increase productivity. And here’s another one in your industry that I think is of paramount importance, and that’s safety. There are fewer accidents when employees are in an engaged environment where these needs are met. If an employee is engaged by their manager, it typically takes at least a 20% raise for someone to pull them away. So that literally creating this workplace environment where people thrive has direct, distinct monetary benefits. Not only are people staying, but they will
In two sessions at Expo, learn how a little psychology can help you recruit and retain the best employees—and customers—for your business.
BY CHUCK BOWEN
I possibly can to not only create a work environment where people are productive, but [where] they thrive and they look forward to coming to work?” The ability to create the conditions where people look forward to coming to work is absolutely essential in this labor market, where we are all facing really tight talent out there, and at all levels. What are those ideal conditions, and are they the same across any industry? All of us, regardless of age, ethnicity, culture, where we were born, share some common, hard-wired needs that have what are referred to as “control precedence” in the brain. That is, these are overriding needs. It’s the same for all people—whether we’re blue or white collar, it really doesn’t matter. It boils down to the brain feeling safe in the immediate environment it’s in. It’s referred to as psychological safety or emotional safety. Now, sometimes, business leaders misinterpret this or misread it as, “Oh, you want me to coddle my employees, and have a feather touch.” And that’s not what it is at all. You can have people working in very rigorous, physically strenuous jobs, but they feel safe in doing it, psychologically safe. So, we’re talking about the conditions where the brain is not worried about being blindsided, for example, by some unexpected risk or threat. And that risk or threat can be something as simple as a supervisor or manager yelling at them
survival mechanism, to know if someone is a positive force or a negative force. When employees are engaged, they simply present differently, their attitude and expression is different, and they’re much more likely to do the right thing. Any advice for Expo attendees as they finish 2023 and head into 2024? I would tell business owners, get your culture fixed now, so you’ve got the good people now, and you’re going to be able to keep them. Get the right players on board now, especially at the managerial level.
literally stay [even] if someone offers them more money. That’s what we refer to as “emotional Velcro,” And employers need to be focused on creating emotional Velcro. Your second session at Expo focuses on sales and marketing. How does your approach impact sales and customer engagement? The human brain over hundreds of thousands of years has become finely attuned to know quickly when interacting with another individual whether that is positive or negative. It is frankly the most fundamental
New: Expo Power Sessions Wednesday, Oct. 18 Closing the Sale Isn’t Enough Time: 9 AM – 10:30 AM Price: $150 Thursday, Oct. 19 Neuroscience of Employee Engagement Time: 10:30 AM – 12 PM Price: $150 The future of work will be defined more by how it feels than how it pays. If you’re struggling with attracting and retaining top talent, turnover, or a toxic culture, you’re not alone. Your business needs engaged employees to grow. Harness the power of neuroscience to increase employee retention and engagement.
Your two sessions at Equip Expo focus on the neuroscience of customers and employees. What can business owners expect to learn? Regardless of the size or type of the company, employees all share the same key drivers for human behavior and for performing well. We now know the precise conditions [in which] humans are likely to operate at their full and best capacity. And so, what employers of all stripes should be focusing on is, “How can I get closer to those conditions in my workplace culture, so that I can guarantee myself that I’m doing everything
Don Rheem has decades of experience helping companies in the landscape, tree care, construction, and manufacturing industries learn how their employees think. The CEO of E3 Solutions, Rheem uses humans’ hard- wired brain responses to help employers better understand—and thus, better retain—their people. Equip caught up with him to learn how it works, and how it can help Expo attendees reduce churn at all levels.
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www.equipexposition.com
www.equipexposition.com
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