Taking Employee Engagement to New Heights

”If you treat your employee well, they in turn will treat your customers well. And by doing that, they’ll come back and that will make your shareholders happy. By that, what I mean is genuinely care about your employees, put them at the center of our decision making model, involve them  in problems and opportunities and challenges, trust them that they know what to do, and then they can make the right decisions. When you empower people to do that, they will do well.”

Elizabeth Bryant is Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer at Southwest Airlines. And in this episode, Elizabeth and host Nicole Alvino discuss the importance of employee engagement and its impact on organizational success. The conversation explores Southwest’s employee-centered approach, leadership development strategies, and the link between employee treatment and customer experience. Bryant shares insights on creating a culture of learning, valuing employee contributions, and fostering an environment that supports growth and innovation across Southwest’s 75,000-strong workforce. Listeners gain valuable lessons on personalized employee journeys and the significance of leadership in enhancing employee satisfaction and company profitability.

”An environment that allows failure to happen and to have a growth mindset, it doesn’t always mean you’re moving forward. And sometimes we will make mistakes as we’re growing. So to have an environment that recognizes that mistakes are part of it, they’re part of the growth, and as a leader, to be equipped with the tools and the skills to help employees as they are working through that, and it’s a supportive environment versus a punitive one, I think is important as well.”

• The connection between employee treatment and business benefits
• How to equip leaders with the necessary tools and training to effectively guide their teams
• Tips on personalizing the employee experience at scale, including providing timely and relevant information, understanding their unique needs, and enabling self-serve options for information and resources

”I think there’s a difference between a healthy and a smart organization. In a smart organization, you hire in the right people that have the background and the skillset. But the healthy is all about the EQ and that ability to connect with what’s important in employees’ lives.”