COVID has changed the workplace and we still see it. Not all business owners realize the change, why it happened, and what needs to be done to keep the business running smoothly. During COVID and after COVID, we saw that people who weren’t treated decently in their jobs in the first place, with pay and extras, didn’t want to come back to work for the same old/same old. They started looking for something different and better.

In her article “5 Workplace Lessons We Have Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic,” author Tarika Arun offered five ideas toward enlightenment:

Lesson #1 in the workplace – Employee well-being matters as much as employee productivity

Lesson 2 in the workplace – Compassion and empathy should be at the heart of employee management

Workplace Lesson #3 – Technical tools are needed to enable employees to work from anywhere

Workplace Lesson #4 – Flexible working hours are no longer pleasant, but essential

Lesson 5 in the workplace – Building a resilient workforce is essential

Business owners and managers must consider how workers fit in, why they fit in, and why they need to fit in to benefit both management and the workers themselves. Low-wage workers usually just follow the steps and get the work they need to do in order to get paid. There is very little difference between the wages of slaves from centuries ago, the treatment and the end product. They don’t climb the ladder; they’re probably moving on. However, people who know they are worth hiring + expect fair treatment and respect. When employers hire workers and treat them not only as if they matter, but also as part of management and part of the business machine, workers respond. Management must show respect and concern as well as confidence in their growing capacity. Then we have a talent contract that works for both workers and directors and extends to owners.

Here are some comments to consider. Read them and weigh them with how you ran the business:

“Customers don’t come first. Employees come first. If you take care of the employees, they will take care of the customers. Sir Richard Branson

“If you don’t create a rewarding workplace for people, they won’t do a great job” – Ari Weinzweig

“It’s not customary to refer to an employee as a partner, yet what else is he? – Justin Time

“Treat your employees as an investment, not a cost.” – Dan Sullivan. A US senator

“The way your employees feel is the way your customers feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers. – Sybil F. Stershic. American author

“There are two things people want more than sex and money…recognition and praise.”

Mary Kay Ash, Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics

“Make sure everyone in the company has great opportunities, makes a meaningful impact and contributes to the good of society.” – Larry Page, co-founder of Google

I wish I had thought of this when I was president of the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8: At the meeting, recognize someone who led a successful project, but before that, ask four or five people to go individually to that president later and let them know how much they deserved the congratulations.

Lunch – Invite an outstanding worker or administrator to lunch for doing a great job on a project or special event. You can make this even better by asking the person to invite three or four other workers, their spouse, or a significant other to join the two of you for lunch.

Learn more about the person you want to reward. If they like to cook, buy them a one-year subscription to a food magazine like Cook’s Illustrated; if they love plants, order Flower Magazine; if they love art, a subscription to The Artist; if they enjoy history, a subscription to The Smithsonian or Archeology will be appreciated. Be sure to ask first, just in case they already have a subscription. Don’t worry, there are plenty of magazines for most topics. They will appreciate your knowledge or their preferences and knowledge.

“Compensation is what you give people to do the job they were hired to do. Gratitude, on the other hand, celebrates an effort beyond the call of duty. – “How to Take Advantage of Merchandise Incentives”

If you really want to show the workers how much you care when they’ve done something absolutely amazing, take them out to lunch. Not just paying for lunch, but paying for their close colleagues (of their choice) and having a limo come and pick up the celebrant and take them to work, then pick them and their colleagues up and drive them to lunch and back, and finally ask the limo to take them home at the end of the day. . . maybe with a bottle of wine to share. It would be a memory that would last a lifetime for the individual and his colleagues.

“When management shows through actions rather than words that you are a valued employee, that your contribution is valued at whatever level you work, it’s very motivating.” – Aaron Melick, Broadcast and Marketing Administrator, Playboy Enterprises

The Top Ten Ways to Reward Good Work

#1 – Money

#2 – Recognition

#3 – Free time

#4 – A piece of the action

#5 – Favorite Job

#6 – Advancement

#7 – Freedom

#8 – Personal Growth

#9 – Fun

#10 – Price

– Michael LeBoeuf, The World’s Greatest Principle of Management

“Give people a chance to not just do a job, but to make an impact, and they’ll really respond, get on their roller skates, and run to make sure it happens.” – Robert Hauptfuhrer, President and CEO, Oryx Energy

“It’s not enough to tell people they should be happy to have a job here. In an age where people are being asked to really stretch with fewer resources, you want to reward them for that stretch. – Bruch Donatuti, Director of Human Resources Policy, Program Development and Communications, Citibank

A word of warning. If you can’t praise an employee, maybe you need another job.