In the workplace, employees often have to endure a lot – from overwhelming workloads to underpayment despite massive overwork.
One of the main reasons for job dissatisfaction is actually the root cause of this toxic epidemic: bad leadership. When you have a bad boss, it completely changes the work culture.
That’s exactly why Hannah Juhl, a Michigan pastry chef and owner of Stella’s Coffee House, is changing the game by making her employees her top priority and being a great boss.
The millennial boss criticized supervisors who shame their employees for taking sick days.
In a recent TikTok, Juhl shared a text message she received from one of her employees who called in sick “at short notice.” After reading the text, she quickly reminded her viewers that “of course” she didn’t want anyone to come to work sick.
Regardless of whether she was actually sick or not, Juhl took her co-worker’s request at face value. She clearly needed a break.
Arguing, invalidating, or forcing the employee to “prove” her illness would not improve the relationship or the work culture, and certainly would not change the fact that the employee is not coming to work.
“Oh no! Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it,” Juhl replied via text message. “Just rest and feel better soon. Text me if you think you might need help tomorrow too.”
Juhl not only supported her in her application for sick leave, but also took additional steps to make her life easier the next day.
In another text message to her sick employee, she offered to give him a rest “tomorrow” as well. Not only did she arrange for a replacement for the next day herself and ensure that the employee did not feel guilty or stressed about his situation, but she also offered to support him in returning to work.
“If you’re feeling better, I’ll still schedule you in the morning,” she added, “but I have a backup plan in case you need more time.”
People pictures Yuri A / Shutterstock.com
It eliminates the stress that many employees feel when taking even the time they are entitled to, and actively cultivates a supportive environment with a healthy leadership relationship that not only increases productivity but also fosters trust and compassion.
“Most of the time, it’s literally that simple,” she adds. “I think that’s how it should always be handled. It’s not an employee’s job to work to their boss’s liking – the boss made the commitment, so they should handle it.”
Good bosses value the well-being and leisure time of their employees by encouraging them to take time off rather than shaming them.
“I didn’t want anyone else to have to go through what I went through,” Juhl explained in a follow-up post. “It breaks my heart that some of you don’t have the same support system that you should have in your work… I wish I could hire all of you.”
Juhl is not wrong. Respect and trust in employees are the most important prerequisites for job satisfaction.
Sandra Sucher, a professor at Harvard Business School, told CNBC: “We are in a crisis of trust in leadership. Leaders of all kinds … are failing to meet some of people’s basic expectations about how they should be treated.”
Good bosses provide sick leave, but great bosses encourage their employees to use it because they know that personal time, identity outside of work, and relaxation are fundamental to a healthy work-life balance.
They value breaks, not to recharge their batteries for work, but to enjoy their private life and promote their well-being.
You deserve to be treated with respect and humanity at work – no matter how high the stakes, how overwhelming your workload, or how many sick days you need to take.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango, focusing on health and wellbeing, social policy and human stories.
