Activity 3.1 | Working from the Heart: Building Relationships with Employees

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

If you work a full week, a lot of your time is spent in your workplace. For many people a full-time job can be 30% of their total week (including commuting and preparing for the day)! One can see how important it is to develop good working relationships with your colleagues that avoid a lot of interpersonal stress. Having pleasant relationships at work is a big contributor to your well-being and guards against burn-out. Positive relationships lead to feeling valued and motivate educators to enjoy each day.

Part of being a successful leader can be measured by the guidance that you provide to your team. Teams rely on relationships and trust to support the work of their members and the goals they strive to reach. The team leader will look for ways to support each member. Three important aspects of work life are wages, hours and responsibilities, and inclusion. Although sometimes out of their control, wages need to be fair according to credentials and an effective leader will advocate on the part of the staff. Scheduling may be more flexible for the leader to accommodate educators’ priorities and strengths. A caring leader will do their best to assure no one is excluded from opportunities.

Let’s look at one of the best-known theories of motivation that support the value of relationship-building in the workplace.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Note. Wikimedia Commons. CC-BY

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, every person has five levels of needs:

1. physiological or basic: water, food, and shelter,
2. safety: stability, security, and freedom from fear and anxiety,
3. belongingness and love: family, friends, and intimate relationships,
4. self-esteem: achievement, recognition, and respect,
5. self-actualization: achieving full potential, creativity, and fulfillment.

While building a team and organizing responsibilities, the team leader will ensure that all these needs are considered to facilitate relationship building between management, employees and the children in their care.

Reference

Factoryjoe. (2009, June 29). Maslow's hierarchy of needs [SVG image]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.svg

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346

Blackfoot Influence

A frequently overlooked aspect of Maslow’s work is his failure to acknowledge the influence of the Blackfoot Nation, who hosted him and likely shaped his understanding of self-actualization and community-centred values. This omission reflects a broader issue in psychology, where Indigenous and non-European contributions are often underrepresented or unrecognized.

Visit this Pressbook chapter to explore Blackstock’s and Maslow’s theories of needs and motivations, examining their implications for human development and well-being.

Reference

Motherwell McFarlane, J. (2024). Blackstock’s and Maslow’s Theories of Needs and Motivations. CC-BY 4.0.  https://opentextbc.ca/psychologymtdi/chapter/blackstocks-and-maslows-theories-of-needs-and-motivations/

Basic Needs and Safety

To begin, basic needs and safety are mostly addressed in licensing regulations. We considered the role of the regulations in the last module when we thought about accessible spaces.  We notice that some of the regulations state that a licensed centre must have minimal physical spaces to operate, access to water and washrooms, suitable temperature and necessary equipment for children’s care. Educators and staff can have different levels of training but must complete criminal record checks. There are minimal supervision requirements and a maximum number of children per caregiver. The centre must also follow various recording and reporting procedures such as care plans, illness and injury. The team leader has a responsibility to ensure the program remains in good standing. Review the BC Child Care Licensing Regulation for more information.   

Educators are entitled to their rights as workers and must have regular breaks after a certain number of hours worked. If basic rights are not observed relationships will begin to deteriorate as staff feel resentment. The team leader must carefully balance time scheduling to serve the needs of the children and the educators. 

Reference

British Columbia Ministry of Health Planning. (2003). Child care licensing regulation: A guide for licensees.  https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/332_2007

Fostering Belonging

The program leader or manager can model a welcoming attitude with a friendly greeting and positive comments when staff arrive or depart for the day. Ensuring that space is available for breaks where staff can relax, eat lunch or have a quiet conversation is essential. Sometimes someone may need privacy if overwhelmed with emotions. The manager may also consider having a list of support resources. When staff feel their needs are supported their sense of belonging to the team increases.

Relationship building requires some shared activities. Schedule staff meetings when everyone can be available. Plan occasional gatherings to celebrate milestones. If a special event is coming up in the centre, send two staff together to shop for supplies so they can share the duties. Organize a training session where all staff can attend and learn together. Encourage contributions that can be shared such as extra garden produce, baking, or books and articles, but without pressure. Everyone has different gifts to contribute; an employee should never feel forced.  Many educators take photos as part of their day; put up a bulletin board to share them. They create conversation and memories. The photos tell stories of relationships between people and the environment.

Promoting Esteem

Everyone needs to feel valued. We work hard, feel tired at the end of the day and don’t want to go home feeling like no one noticed or cared. Managers can nurture relationships by consistently offering positive feedback. Recognizing the work people do can be a powerful motivator and can foster a more welcoming environment. If an activity doesn’t work out as planned, view it from another perspective. It could be a learning experience and encourage a plan B or C. Flexibility in childcare is a valuable skill.

Pause and Journal

What makes you feel valued in your workplace? 

In your journal, list gestures that help you feel valued. For example, most of us like to hear “thank you” when we do something for another.

Now, write a second list of possibilities for the program to recognize your employees' value. For example, recognizing anniversaries “Today is the fifth anniversary since Lisa joined us”; a gift certificate to thank someone for extra service; a thank you song with the children; posting an achievement that parents can see (with permission, of course). How can you incorporate some of these ideas into daily routines?

Self-Actualization

At the top of the Maslow pyramid is the element of self-actualization. Some persons seek to reach self-actualization through ambition to move up the career ladder, taking on more responsibilities, earning more and becoming influencers in their chosen specialty. Others strive towards self-actualization through increasing their knowledge to nourish their passions. They may want to pursue challenges, have more opportunities to learn and share, or take actions such as volunteering their time for projects they love. Managers can empower staff relationships by offering opportunities to build skills from challenges, recognize strengths, and trust in their ability to succeed. Give everyone a chance to shine in their achievements.

In your journal, reflect on your own goals for self-actualization. 

• What do you need to continue your growth? 
• Where might you find opportunities to increase your skills? 
• How does self-confidence assist you in building relationships with others?

The Pedagogy of Listening

Listening, as described by Rinaldi, is active and gives meaning to the message offered. By listening we value the message. Listening doesn’t always provide an answer but raises further questions. Listening lets us understand that we are small parts of a larger knowledge.

Listening to children is a valuable skill to develop because they so often bring forward new ideas and interpretations that we may have not thought of before. We listen not only to words but silence, stillness, and sounds. We notice gestures, movements, light and shadows and how everything is interrelated. It opens our minds to something new and helps us let go of what is not so useful.

According to the BC Early Learning Framework (p.48), listening involves being welcoming and open to differences. Listening is recognizing the value of another’s point of view.

Listening is not always comfortable. We have to stretch ourselves to pay attention. Whether we are listening to children or colleagues, we must let go of our own thoughts and judgments and focus on what another person is offering through words, gestures and pauses. 

Activity

Ask a colleague if you can observe them interacting with a child or small group for about 15 minutes. Listen with your ears and eyes. Make some notes and think about the moment. Offer to share your observations with your colleague. Observing a colleague’s interactions with the children must be respectful.

How does your knowledge of the five human needs influence your observations?

After you complete your observation, you should make notes in your journal and consider if this is an activity other educators in your centre might like to try. If so, have a conversation during a meeting to create boundaries so that all educators feel safe and within their comfort zone in doing this activity. Discuss  what purposes it could serve with your staff and establish a common goal(s) for the activity. Ensure you have allocated time to debrief and discuss either as a pair or a group depending on what your staff decides.

British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2019). British Columbia early learning framework. Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Children and Family Development, & Early Advisory Group. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/early-learning/teach/early-learning-framework