People just like plants in a pot need care, positive support of their needs for growth in their environments. A plant without water or sunlight will wilt and eventually die; a person without proper direction will experience stress which will cause overwork, health issues or lead to mistakes and result in them leaving the organization in search of a "better" one. Care and support create a positivity for growth.
People grow to be healthy by being treated with support, care, connection and respect. If any of these aspects are missing in an organization or environment, it becomes stressful. Strong leadership can affect positive change in the work environment by utilizing best practices and cross functional leadership which can improve things for the better. Leadership and decision making is most inclusive and equitable when done from a collaborating team, not one individual who has no checks and balances on their decisions or the way they lead others.
In human resources it is out job to provide insight implementing policies, procedures and practices to drive engagement in the organization and support the best aspects of those who work there which will create a positive environment. Employees who work well together; and are led well with practices like 360 input from different individuals at various capacities in the workplace for performance management to provide well rounded feedback for goal setting drives growth. An individual can develop more effectively when gaining more diverse perspectives from a variety of people they work with, versus one person and this leaves less room for bias in the process.
The workplaces with the best rankings for employee satisfaction and are more profitable typically are very inclusive, supportive and promote professional development and growth internally. These organizations utilize human resources practices which are recommended by organizations like SHRM (Society of Human Resources Professionals) such as mentors, succession planning, onboarding buddies, teamwork, are innovative and collaborative ideas in meetings, gaining insight from different leaders and employees in various levels, departments and positions as well as utilizing strategic communication plans consistently for all employees. The organizations without best practices can leave decision making to individuals or have authoritative leaders who can create chaos, bias, prejudice or implement control and micromanagement making it very stressful for employees. The employees are usually not as happy because of lack of support will look for employment outside the organization or with different businesses in their industry.
In closing employees prosper in supportive caring environments where there are human connections, not just technology, people work together and best practices mitigate conflict, support coaching, progressive levels of discipline, are diverse, equitable and inclusive to all employees. The individuals work on teams and come authentically to work without fear of having to generalize themselves to the majority. Leadership is team driven and there are many different opportunities for input as well as engagement. We all need human care, support, respectful behaviors and language as well has integrity in our environments to not just survive but to thrive and bloom like a flower.