How Supporting Your Employees Can Build MVPs

Congrats to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the 2024 World Series by beating the Yankees in five games.

There is at least one workplace takeaway from this year’s Fall Classic (I wrote about three workplace lessons back in 2019 when the team I root for – the Nationals – won the World Series). This year’s lesson comes courtesy of the World Series MVP, Freddie Freeman.

Freeman had an unbelievable series, driving in 12 runs and hitting a walk-off grand slam in Game 1. He absolutely came through when his team needed him most. But, back in July, his team came through for him when Freeman stepped away from the team for 10 days (an eternity in a major league season) to be with his family while one of his children battled a life-threatening illness.

Freeman is one of the best hitters in the history of baseball, so maybe he would have performed at a high level even if his team had been far less supportive. But maybe not. When his son recovered and Freeman returned to the Dodgers, he spoke about the support and encouragement he received both from his teammates and from management. According to one report, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts “encouraged his star first baseman to disconnect completely” while away from the team in order to be present for and focused on his family.

The lesson for mere mortals who toil behind desks and not on big league diamonds should be clear: don’t just give lip service to “work-life balance” but provide genuine, concrete support to employees dealing with major challenges outside of work. It’s something we strive to do here at RewardsFocus, and it is also something that we see at so many of our clients. Standing by employees in tough times can create a virtuous cycle: support builds loyalty, loyalty drives performance, and strong performance encourages even greater support. Who knows – that employee you support when they need it most might just end up being your MVP someday.