The origins of Labor Day can be traced back to one of the most tumultuous decades for workers’ rights in U.S. history. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was booming and the demand for cheap labor was unrelenting. Faced with abominable working conditions, exploitive child labor practices and stubbornly low wages, workers began organizing strikes and rallies in protest. While some of these events turned violent, on September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers in New York City took unpaid time off to march in what would become the first-ever Labor Day parade.
A little more than a decade later, in 1894, Congress passed a law declaring that the first Monday in September of each year be a public holiday dedicated to honoring the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of this country.
Today, the activist fervor that marked the inception of Labor Day has understandably waned. After more than a 100 years of labor reform and hard-fought employee rights battles, workers no longer face the same severity of issues they did in the 19th century. In 2015, Labor Day doesn’t just represent the plight of the worker, it represents the ceremonial end of summer, a time to go back to school—even if just symbolically—and the chance to revel in one last beach excursion or barbeque party bender.
In some ways, Labor Day is an end that kicks off a beginning, which is a lot like what it feels like to usher in a new year at the stroke of midnight. With that in mind, I propose that we treat Labor Day as a time to make workplace resolutions that improve one of the foremost struggles plaguing today’s modern office environment—employee engagement. Here are three resolutions to get you started when you come back from the long weekend:
1. Make communication a two-way street – There’s a reason the commonly invoked expression “communication is the key to a healthy relationship” has become a cliché. It’s because it’s a battle-tested truth. More than likely, you frequently communicate with your employees, whether it’s to assign responsibilities, give feedback or inform them of company policies. But how do they communicate and give feedback to you? Face-to-face communication doesn’t always foster the most comfortable or candid discourse. This means, if you don’t already have one, it’s time to start surveying your employees to measure their satisfaction, solicit their opinions, and find out how to increase their engagement. Check out our ebook on how to get started (there’s a sample survey included).
2. Invest in training and development – Did you know that 83% of working professionals consider the ability to learn and grow essential to their jobs? If you’re not offering a way for employees to learn new skills, they are likely to leave for a lack of being challenged. Furthermore, training programs help ensure your employees can perform better and be more productive. If you don’t have a training program yet, start small. You can focus on a monthly topic, institute cross-departmental training, or even organize a mentor program.
3. Recognize a job well done – As quaint and simple as this gesture seems, recognizing employees is an incredibly effective way to maintain, improve or restore morale. It was the entire basis for declaring Labor Day a national public holiday in the first place. Recognizing employees can be as simple as a verbal thank you or as elaborate as an incentives program. Office-wide happy hours, pizza parties or impromptu half-days are great ways to build camaraderie and inspire employees to stay engaged and invested in their work.
This Labor Day weekend, while you’re bidding farewell to summer, take a moment to appreciate how far we’ve come as a workforce. Then when you return on Tuesday, start solidifying your employee engagement resolutions to ensure years of continued progress at your organization. Happy Labor Day!