“Henson Group Puts Employees’ Wellbeing First”
Greg Henson CEO of Henson Group changed his employee review process amidst the pandemic. Henson Group, is a global provider of I.T. software and hardware. The company has offices around the world and and a large number of employees who were affected during the pandemic.
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During the crisis, Henson believed his employees needed empathetic leadership, more than performance reviews. He also wanted a virtual way to boost morale and support for his employees.
Henson says at first the company didn’t account for “the human psychological toll on our employees. Especially the duration of the psychological toll, the increased loneliness, the depression, the ability to focus, was difficult for some employees. We had to rethink how we support employees in that situation.”
The company decided they needed to make the employee review process easier in 2020. All Henson Group employees received the highest rating possible for “showing up” and working. Henson said, “We understood that on top of working full time, they had to deal with all these other issues going on at home, being a caregiver, being a babysitter, being a school teacher, while doing full time work is very stressful… simply making it through 2020 was an accomplishment enough.”
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The Henson Group integrated social emotional programs and added events that would boost employee morale. Yoga, stretching, cooking classes, pet shows and even employee happy hours were added to help Henson Group employees get their emotional work connection back.
As the pandemic continues Henson says, “For employees their personal life doesn’t hang up when they turn on their laptop… they’re still dealing with personal issues throughout the day.”
Henson believes if companies are not offering emotional support now… they should be and “your employees will thank you for it.” He recommends companies add more psychological and emotional support for employees by adding events like Bootcamp, cooking and yoga. “Be creative as possible to support your employees,” says Henson.