Your broader team—both executives and the wider workforce—shouldhave a hand in decision making, particularly when those decisionsimpact culture. (Photo: Shutterstock)

What if every day you did something that mattered?

At GreatCall, that's the question we ask prospective employees.We come to work every day to help empower independence, health andwellness, and we want our employees to strive for the same results.In order to impact the lives—and health—of our customers, it'simperative to have people that embody meaningful work and embracethe mission of wellness and changing the lives of older adults.

In recent years, companies have prioritized the well-being of their employees, viewing it nowas a "must have" versus a "nice to have." Whether you areimplementing workplace wellness initiatives, unique benefits ordevelopment opportunities, ensuring that your employees feel caredfor increases the likelihood that they truly care about the workthey're doing and the customers they are serving.

Related: Employee happiness: More important thanpay?

Start with a vision

You must have people on your team that want to do meaningfulwork, and for that to happen, you need to create a vision andnurture an environment that invites growth, mindfulness andcompassion. Creating real change requires a healthy injection ofcaring, not just for customers, but for employees as well.

To start, you must develop a clear definition of what meaningfulwork entails for your company. For us, it means findingfulfillment in helping others, creating products and services thatcan change lives and setting a standard of top-tier care andattention. Each workplace is different, however, so take the timeto determine what meaningful work means for you and your company,share your vision with the rest of the leadership team and activelyencourage them to participate. Just as getting a new initiative offthe ground requires leaders who have faith in its success, so todoes building a culture of meaningful work. It is vital that yoursenior-level employees are willing and eager to participate.

It's incredibly important for businesses to encourage theiremployees, at all levels, to live a meaningful life and in doingso, challenge them to define what is truly meaningful to them.Remember that in empowering employees to embody meaning, you mustthink beyond traditional wellness. An employee's well-being, whichtranslates directly into their work, can encompass physical, mentaland even financial health.

Once you've achieved a workplace environment you're proud of,how do you sustain it?

You have to focus on both your current team as well as potentialhires. Your current employees must help drive home the importanceof meaningful work for it truly to become a part of your culture.As you bring in new talent, it is important to hire people who feelthe same way and thrive on personal connection, have a true beliefin the company's mission and the motivation to make their workplacea productive, safe and thriving environment.

Transparency and collaboration are crucial to success. Theconcept of making decisions in a conference room, with no inputfrom the people who are affected by changes created by thosedecisions, is a distorted reality. Your broader team—bothexecutives and the wider workforce—should have a hand in decisionmaking, particularly when those decisions impact culture.

To foster this transparent, collaborative workplace, make sureall employees are cared for and listened to. From C-Suiteexecutives to hourly employees, treat all employees with the sameamount of respect and ensure that they treat each other that way aswell. Help them make meaningful change and offer things thatemployees cannot find at other organizations in your field, such asgreat benefits, generous time off, and of course, companytransparency.

Offering the most sought-after benefits requires finding outwhat employees want. Whether it be the newest trend in fitnessclasses or additional amenities to the office, keeping your earsopen to suggestions is always important.

When your employees feel comfortable coming to you withsuggestions, don't be afraid to introduce these new programs. Sure,they might fail – but they also might greatly succeed. Whether itbe meditation, open office hours with executives, or a financialplanning training, initiating programs that focus on the physical,mental and financial health of employees are critical tomaintaining a culture of wellness. Just because a program hasn'tbeen done before, doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. And justbecause a program doesn't match what we first think of when we hearwellness, doesn't mean that it won't impact health.

On the flip side, if something isn't working, change it. Setmeasurable, relevant goals at the start of the program, and trackmetrics to determine success. If consistent pain points continue toappear, incorporate changes where necessary. Above all, beflexible.

For anyone leading an organizational change towards meaningfulwork, it is crucial to reinforce the vision in everything you do.Just as you make time for the things that ground you, enable youremployees to do the same.

How can you tell if your mission is being embraced? How do youtrack progress?

Obtain employee and customer feedback. Onceyour initiatives are off the ground, make sure you're checking inwith your employees. What's working? What's not? What needs to beupdated? Equally as important is customer service feedback. Arecustomers happy with their interactions with employees? Working insuch a customer-oriented field, it's critical that employees arenot only treating their coworkers well, but they're treating theircustomers well and ensuring that they're having the best possibleexperience. This is more likely to happen when employees are happyin their day-to-day lives.

Pay close attention to employee retention. Whenthere is turnover, find out why. What could your company andleadership be doing better to keep your employees and customerscoming back? What could you be doing that makes employees excitedto go to work every day, and remind them that their work isvaluable?

Obtain and leverage metrics. If you're workingwith both feedback and data, you can refine your vision of whatsuccess will look like and how you can measure it.

Don't get comfortable. Without ongoing feedbackand reinforcement, your plan won't stay on track. It's not aboutknowing all the answers, but working through the unknown andfinding the resources you need.

Once you've mapped out your mission and goals, you can start tobring in employees who share and understand your mission. If yourpeople are passionate about maintaining a thriving workenvironment, this will carry through to their work, regardless ofwhat level they are at in the organization. Be in touch with allemployees about what's working, and what they want to see change.Adjust and improve as needed in order to cultivate an environmentof true meaningful work, because a happy and healthy workforce isthe vehicle necessarily to sustaining a happy and healthy customerbase.

Lynn Herrick ischief operating officer at GreatCall. 

Read more: 

• Why great company cultures rely on making greathires
• Are your benefits easing employee stress andbuilding company culture?
• 6 tips for improving companyculture