Chris French is the Executive Vice President of Customer Strategy at WorkHuman. He joins Mike Wood to discuss parental leave, workplace culture, and recognition.

Should I Be Distracted?

Chris recalls a performance review he received in a past experience. His wife had given birth to their first child, and he was excited to be a parent. However, in his yearly performance review, he was told he seemed distracted by his responsibilities as a parent. He was offended because he didn’t believe it to be true. Chris says at the time it hadn’t dawned on him that he should have been more offended that his supposed distraction was seen as a bad thing. Two years later, in the same job, a different superior encouraged him to take paternity leave. Different perspectives from different people can have a big impact on what you think a company expects from you, he says.

Beyond Just Parental Leave

It’s great to work in a workplace where people celebrate that they are happy for you. Companies should create a working environment where people see each other as human beings. It is important that companies allow their workers the flexibility to live their lives in whatever way they see fit, Chris states, and not get in the way when life happens. Work extends into a gray area past 9 AM and 5 PM, Mike adds.

A Culture of Recognition

Creating a culture of recognition in the workplace builds a social network within the organization that holds things together during life’s challenges. The culture that WorkHuman builds is one where employees are recognized when caught in the act of doing good things. This means that employees are consistently and constantly recognized by everyone, not just the bosses. When they have young children at home, parents are stressed from their different roles and may feel like they are behind in both facets of their lives. Sometimes all they need is someone to tell them they’re doing a good job.

Resources

Chris French on LinkedIn 

WorkHumanLive.com