Since 1995, many American companies have celebrated Employee Appreciation Day on March 5. A few days earlier, on March 1, Compliment Day is observed in Belgium and the Netherlands. For Arteel, this is a special week entirely dedicated to appreciation. Both days share the same underlying goal: to strengthen connections between people, more specifically the bond between employees and employers. This is especially important when you consider recent figures on absenteeism, burnout, and ‘quiet quitting.’ At the end of 2020, Lesley Arens from ZigZagHR spoke with Nathalie Arteel for a podcast on appreciation. Nathalie’s insights remain more relevant today than ever.chrijven...
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Your key insight after 30 years of HR conversations
Nathalie: “One of the basic human needs is to be seen, heard, and validated. ‘Do you hear what I say? Do you see me? Am I important to you?’ It’s about the art of creating connections from human to human, from heart to heart.”
Have you seen this need for connection evolve?
Nathalie: “I reflected on my own childhood. I come from an underprivileged family and basically had no opportunities to continue studying. Yet, you encounter people who genuinely see and value you. That gave me more self-confidence and the motivation to take a few steps further. It convinced me that more is needed than just a compensation & benefits plan in companies.”
Why is more than compensation and rewards needed in companies?
Nathalie: “I saw that many companies invested heavily in rewards and extra benefits, yet absenteeism kept rising—especially long-term absenteeism. Values weren’t lived, and people didn’t feel connected to the culture despite great working conditions. That made me realize that beyond financial connections, we need to focus much more on emotional connections.”
Why is creating emotional connections so difficult for managers?
Nathalie: “When you’re under pressure, you focus on numbers. We see managers mentally shut down. They literally stop seeing their people. Your tension also radiates to your team. All you notice are mistakes. I’ve made that mistake myself. You cannot build a customer-focused or innovative company that way. You first have to build trust and make connections.”
“When I see how at Arteel we create beautiful moments of connection on the work floor every day, it truly lifts me and makes me happy.”
Happy employees are the secret weapon?
Nathalie: “I want to clarify: it’s not about making people happy. My dog, for example, is very happy when he can sleep, but he’s only engaged when I’m ready to play with his ball. You want to achieve engagement with employees too, but first you need to build a strong relationship and trust. As an SME, we need to move forward and invest; happy employees on their own won’t get us anywhere. People understand we need to move faster than in a large company, but that brings satisfaction and growth opportunities, and they know that.”
“Behavior aligned with our values and mission must manifest itself—that’s our compass. We work hard to make this clear to our employees. That behavior must be visible, not only to managers but to all colleagues. Even better: that behavior must be appreciated, shared, and reinforced within our organization.”
