Putting the human back into human resources | Mary Schaefer | TEDxWilmington

Who here has heard the
term human resources?

Who here has used the
term human resources?

Who here thinks they know what
the term human resources means?

Yeah.

Many times when we talk
about human resources,

we're talking about that
function in an organization that

handles the people stuff.

And what I'm here to
talk to you about today

in putting the human back
into human resources,

I'm here to talk to you about
infusing more humanity back

into the workplace for
those human beings who

happen to be employees.

You're going to hear me today
use the word humanly a lot.

And when I have conversations
with people about this subject,

that word often gets fed
back to me as humanely.

And so let me be really
clear on what I mean

by humanly versus humanely.

To me, when employers are
treating employees humanely,

they're providing them bathroom
breaks and water fountains.

To me, for employers to
treat employees humanly,

it's to address the very
human needs, such as the need

to be appreciated,
the need to belong,

and the need to feel
like you're making

a meaningful contribution.

Now, what does that look like?

20 years ago, I worked at a
chemical plant in West Virginia.

And I was a project
team leader implementing

a module of SAP software.

Some of you may
have heard of it,

and it was the raw
materials module.

And many of the people on my
team were shop floor employees.

That means they were the people
on the shop floor handling

the chemicals.

And one of them came
to me and asked me

if I would help him develop
so he could advance.

He wanted to get promoted.

And I was thrilled to hear this.

Now, this is interesting
because, at the same time,

at this point in time, shop
floor employees were not

viewed as people who
had hopes and dreams

and who wanted to
learn and grow.

And so I was more
than glad to help him.

I talked with his supervisor.

He didn't report
directly to me, and I got

his supervisor's permission.

And at the same time, I made
the same offer to anyone else

on my team who was interested
in developing and growing

in order to advance.

And three more people
took me up on that.

Now, let's fast
forward a few years.

Three out of those
four people got

promoted into exempt positions.

One started traveling the
world as an SAP consultant,

another became a
supervisor, and a third

became a highly valued SAP
resource within his division.

That third one is
particularly close to my heart

because, when I started
at that chemical plant,

he was sweeping the
floors in my building.

Now, you might be wondering,
Mary, what did you do?

I didn't really
do anything fancy

that you couldn't find
in any management book.

I think what I might have done
a little differently was I

believed in these people.

And when human beings
are treated in a way

that they are capable of more,
they rise to the occasion.

So that was a nice story.

And is there a really--
there's a problem here, Mary,

that needs a remedy?

Yes, there is.

The Gallup organization--
among other things,

the Gallup organization studies
corporations, employment,

and employee engagement.

And in their 2013 report on the
state of the American workforce,

they tell us that 70% of
the American workforce

is disengaged,
with 20% described

as actively disengaged.

That's a whole lot
of human beings

who are not getting their
needs met, such as the need

to be appreciated,
the need to belong,

and the need to be making
a meaningful contribution.

I've been in business
for years now.

And when it comes to
putting meeting human needs,

as I'm describing them
to you as a priority,

it tends to take a back seat.

And I find that curious
because when any of us

are stewards of an
asset like a car,

we wouldn't think of not
giving a car what it needs,

denying a car what
it needs in order

to work at peak performance.

Why would we treat our human
resources any other way?

Again, this isn't
just a nice story

that I'm telling
you and a nice idea,

treating more people humanely.

It has bottom line
business impact.

Researchers have shown
that when human needs are

met for employees at work,
the more they are met,

the higher the engagement.

Engagement, meaning that
people want to be there

and they are willing to
go the extra mile even

when nobody is looking.

Higher engagement has
been positively correlated

to increased profitability.

What's that worth to us?

Well, here's one thing I know.

Again, that Gallup
study I was describing,

they also tell us that through
unskilled and unqualified

managers at work, they're
impacting their organizations

by $450 billion to $550
billion worth of productivity

annually by undermining
employee engagement.

Yes, that was billion with a B.

But I'm not here to spout
statistics to you today.

I want to talk to you about
what Any of you here listening

to me today can do about this.

And I understand if
you may be having

a reaction something like this.

Mary, if you think
that I'm going

to impact some big organization,
that is way over my head.

That's got to come
from the top-down.

Or you might simply
be thinking, Mary, you

can't make people who don't
already value people suddenly

value people.

And you know what, I get that.

What I want to ask
you today is to let

your own experience guide you.

And I want you to take a moment
to think about a time at work

when you were made
to feel good, or you

made someone else feel good.

I have a friend who told
me he had a manager who

used to check in with him every
day, and he really meant it.

This man remembers
this from 20 years ago.

You can have that kind
of impact on people.

I have a friend who has a
colleague who brings her coffee

to her desk occasionally.

He tells her it's because
she looks like she needs it.

She says it makes her
feel someone noticed me.

I belong.

I'm seen.

And you can do this even if
you're not in the workforce.

I stood in a grocery
line one time,

and as a disgruntled customer
in front of me moved away.

I told the cashier she had
handled him really well.

And by the expression
on her face,

I saw that she felt
seen and appreciated.

And that's all we really want,
as human beings, is to be seen.

We are feeling beings.

We want to feel
appreciated, like we belong

and like we can
make a difference.

You don't have to be a project
manager like I was in order

to believe in someone.

So what I want to ask you today
is to make a commitment with me

to take the responsibility to
honor someone's worth at work.

And I know this is not just a
commitment that I'm suggesting.

This doesn't happen suddenly,
but it's also a journey.

And through your
journey, I hope you

come to see this
vision in action

and see it bring its
power to reality.

Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]