A little more gentleness in a world of bullies. At a time when burnout figures are “constantly increasing” affecting 34% of employees, as noted at the start of the year the Medadom teleconsultation service, citing a survey by the Observatory of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), benevolent management is on everyone’s lips. Strengthening team cohesion, valuing your employees, thanking them… Behind these good HR intentions and the communication that is made of them, “it is not a fashion effect, assures Elisabeth Peronnin, director of human resources at Club Funding Group, specializing in financial services. We have known for 15 – 20 years that a healthy business environment is always beneficial. Now, we also have enough surveys which prove that a company is more efficient with a caring framework that respects its employees.” Who would’ve believed that ?
Allow for the right to make mistakes
We know the big speeches, what we all expect is the actions. Concretely, this kindness involves different types of measures, such as “setting up meetings where teams share their failures and draw conclusions”, explains the woman who wrote a book on the subject (The right to errorDunod 2021), Severine Loureiro. “We must also encourage managers and management to report errors made so that employees are inclined to evolve in a more serene climate. The right to make mistakes is, for me, the embodiment of goodwill in business, but it is important not to confuse it with fault: the error is involuntary, there is no intention. » The work psychologist, speaker and author on HR issues cites as an example the air force “which has decriminalized errors and encourages the military to share them”, and nuclear power: “I have hosted conferences in centers on this question of the right to make mistakes since talking about it, and quickly, is essential in this environment,” adds Séverine Loureiro.
Exemplary above all
Beyond that, other principles appear essential in the eyes of HR expert, Elisabeth Peronnin: “Exemplarity, which must come from members of management and the direct manager, and times of conviviality which allow us to rub shoulders with each other , to understand and be interested in each other. » Despite everything, “defining benevolence remains very subjective and depends on the people and positions occupied”, recalls Séverine Loureiro. “There are also people who are less receptive to moments of cohesion and it is important that there is no obligation, that we can not want to without being singled out. This is also kindness,” adds Elisabeth Peronnin, recalling that behind this term, we are talking about “respect, empathy and non-judgment. »
The two specialists finally remind us that companies have everything to gain from showing kindness: innovation, productivity, creativity… Sévérine Loureiro even cites the controversial Elon Musk, boss of Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, whom we do not yet know to be a model of kindness at work: “If you don’t make mistakes, it’s because you didn’t try. »