This series will give background information and examples for the questions you will see on the upcoming Gallup Employee Engagement Survey.

Q5:  My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.

People matter! To be a successful leader at any level, you must be able to connect with people.  This fact makes some supervisors uncomfortable.  It would be easier if teams could restrict their need for bonding to home, church, and neighborhood, but they can’t turn off the reflex that easily.

People are social creatures.  When leaders fail to acknowledge and deal with that fact, they aren’t maximizing their teams.  Caring really means setting each person up for success.

It is important for supervisors to express concern for employees, but it’s fundamental to the workplace experience that coworkers also maintain good relationships.

They do not need to engage in social activities outside of work.  They just need to work together well and appreciate each other’s contributions.  Being successful in Q5 can be simple as saying, “Good Morning” and asking how someone’s weekend went.  Be sincere and treat people as individuals.