Employers Are You REALLY Listening?  –

(The importance of empathetic listening skills)

It is said that a business owner should never ask a question that they do not know the answer to.

Studies have shown that when we ask a question, we are listening only to the extent where we can jump in and give an answer

As Stephen Covey explains “We seek to be understood before we seek to understand.”

In these times of rapid change, the skills we need to work on may be very different from those we would have perceived to be useful.

We need to really listen, to understand another person before we can be understood. It is often that we listen with the reply prepared in our minds. We leap in to respond.

The reality is that an ongoing business relationship is based on trust and discussion. The skill for success here is CLEAR COMMUNICATION

Listen for the indicators to discover the motivation, the intentions of the people involved. 

You need to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to really understand everything about them, their values, culture & identity.

Communication between people has been based in significant part on the physical responses and reactions of the person before you. With remote contact & social distancing, for communication this is lost. The focus now must be on verbal communications and listening for the nuances in those conversations. 

Learning how to listen empathetically, has become a more essential skill and should be considered an art, to understand another person before we can be understood.

The need to really listen empathetically, to understand another person before we can be understood.

Work and home life may have become blurred. Business owners are dealing with far more personal information about their staff than ever before. It would be impossible to advise and wrong to judge where forces beyond people’s control are impacting on their ‘normal’ day to day life.

So what should we do ? How should we adapt our behaviour?

Empathetic listening skills are essential to engaging with your team during this extended period of remote working or furlough.

How we manage all our resources is going to be key in rebuilding businesses. Our relationships with customers, suppliers, vendors, employees, stakeholders . 

As we begin to tentatively move towards the gradually lifting of lockdown and return to work, there will be much to take into consideration in often unchartered business territory.

There have been many difficult conversations taking place across the business and personal world, and there are sure to be many more. 

After the shock of lockdown, we are now moving into a whole new way of working with H&S, Risk Assessments, Duty of Care, social distancing at work. The well-being of staff and all connected with your business is at the forefront of everything we do.

We are aware of the importance of strong communication within these groups. Communication, reading, writing, speaking. A lot of study time is spent developing our skills in these core skills.How much time do we really spend in learning how to listen?

If you listen and really value the differences in someone’s experiences, thoughts and emotions, you can see things through their eyes, from their perspective and not only your own narrative

When these differences are respected and valued you can really understand their concerns potentially find a suitable way forward or compromise for both sides

Really listening takes more time, but it can produce a more powerful connection, Benefits include:

• You will be able to construct and deliver a message in a manner that will be received and understood by more of your audience.
• You will be able to address things that REALLY matter to your audience even if they at first may seem unimportant to you.
• Listening and trying to understand means you will be learning and will be better understood when it is your time to deliver leadership, direction, and important business critical information.
• Hopefully, it will improve negotiation and help to avoid confrontation.

Helping your business recover, refocus and rebuild.

Oraculum have decades of experience listening and responding to every unique individual and business needs. 

By REALLY listening we can provide effective support and solutions to the challenges you and your employees face now. We have diversified our services in response to the current needs of businesses. 

Here is why we can help.

• Oraculum can support you. With over 25 years of interviewing & consultancy experience, we have spoken to thousands of candidates whilst they are seeking work. We understand people’s questions, motivations, and concerns at a time of uncertainty and change (changing jobs is on par with moving to a new house in terms of stress) 
• Having provided, qualifying interviewing, onboarding, and follow-up consultation service to our clients, for many years, we know how much benefit there is in ironing out minor concerns of staff as they settle into new roles.
• Listening and dealing with questions and queries as they arise, ensuring they do not grow into bigger issues. 
• Time and again we are the essential go-between for new starters, at the beginning of their work cycle. Unsure of what they can ask HR, senior teams or business owners. Ensuring they feel supported and are onboarded with your organisation. 
• We can be a positive part of the exit of an employee work cycle and provide them with opportunities to move into new work and careers. 
• We are highly professional and fully competent in conducting confidential conversations. 

We are highly skilled at quickly engaging and interacting via telephone/video with people from our first contact with them. 

• As members of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, (REC) we will always work to the highest professional & ethical standards. 

#confidentialconversations #reallylistening #helpbusinessrebuild #remoteworking

We are here to Listen & Help

For more information on how we can help with our HR Employee Support & Outplacement Services

Book a free 30-minute consultation HERE now.