5 Subtle Signs Your Employer Cares About Your Well-Being And Not Just Your Productivity
Do they see you as more than just another expendable worker?
insta_photos | Shutterstock It’s easy for an employer to care about how much you can do for them. That is basically the point of your job, after all. Your boss wants you to be productive so it helps the company.
Finding an employer who cares more deeply is rarer. Many drop personal feelings at the door and only focus on the job at hand. A boss that cares about your well-being isn’t easy to find.
Here are five signs your employer actually cares about your well-being beyond your productivity:
Leadership consultant Selena Rezvani knows how rare it is to find an employer that isn't just analyzing the bottom line. That’s why she encourages management and leaders to take a more active role in their workers’ lives and helps those workers recognize the signs that their well-being is a priority.
1. ‘They respect your time off and don’t intrude’
One of the surest signs of an employer who really cares is that they give you the time off you deserve and don’t try to encroach on that time. The internet is littered with stories of employees who had to fight for their time off or who had it denied for various reasons that seem petty.
An employer who truly cares will let you have the time off you need and not try to interfere.
One concerned employee wrote in to The Cut’s workplace advice column after their boss informed them they needed to be available even when they were taking time off.
Columnist Allison Green responded, “In general, people need to be able to take real, uninterrupted vacation time. That’s part of your compensation when you get PTO. Even aside from that, it’s in employers’ interest to ensure you can fully disconnect because that’s a key way of preventing burnout.”
When an employer cares, they’ll respect your space, including the time off that you need to take.
2. ‘They give you growth-oriented performance feedback’
Hearing criticism can be difficult, even if it’s constructive. While we should all be open to this type of feedback, it shouldn’t be the only thing we hear.
Receiving growth-oriented feedback is a reminder that your employer believes in you and knows you can reach your full potential.
HR Future Magazine said, “Feedback exchange plays a crucial role in fostering employee engagement. It goes beyond addressing concerns promptly and promoting knowledge sharing within the team. It provides an avenue to recognize the successes of individuals and the entire team regularly.”
By taking the time to acknowledge how far you have come and how far you can still go, your boss is reminding you of the endless room you have for positive growth.
3. ‘Your manager invests time and energy in regular 1:1s with you’
While shoutouts in team meetings can be nice, it’s important to also receive special recognition for all that you’re doing, as well as receive feedback in a personal setting. One-on-ones are a great way to do this.
According to Baylor University, “One-on-ones provide an opportunity to surface issues that might otherwise be missed, ensures two-way information flow, provides an opportunity for feedback, gives employees a chance to raise concerns and ask questions, helps build trust and creates time to track goals and have career discussions.”
If your manager sets up regular one-on-one meetings with you, it shows that they care about you, your opinions, and your success. It’s one of the surest signs they see you as more than just another cog in their machine.
4. ‘They support your personal commitments’
An employer who truly cares about you will do more than just support your work. They’ll support what you do personally as well.
Staffing agency Metro Industrial Services pointed out, “Finding an employer that supports taking off work to attend that school musical performance or caring for a sick relative is important. An employer should value your family and how work interacts with your personal home life.”
Having a healthy work-life balance is essential to any employee’s success, and bosses promoting that kind of environment can really go a long way. Life is about more than just work, and when employers understand and demonstrate that, everything is better.
5. ‘They ask for your feedback on issues that impact you’
Some employers feel like they have it all figured out, and they alone know what’s best for the organization. But that’s not true. There are a lot of people who play a role in the company whose opinions matter.
Writing for Memphis Daily News, Angela Copeland noted that there may be times when you don’t have an opinion to share or don’t feel comfortable offering one. But, if the situation is right, you should feel okay doing so.
When issues directly affect you, you should have a say. Employers that understand this want the best for you and really do care.
Looking for these subtle signs can give you insight into whether your employer cares about your well-being.
These things may seem small, but they can truly mean the world to an employee.
Having an employer who really cares about you instead of just what you can do for them is a sign that your work-life balance is healthy and you can trust your boss.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.