CAUTION: PRIME TALENT DEMANDS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ENGAGEMENT
Over the past few years,
there's been much written about employee engagement . What it is, what it
isn't, is it important and (assuming it is) how do you get it? However the notion of
employee engagement is simple. Individual contribution of employees (including
managers and leaders) in the workplace is very much influenced by the strength
of their respective emotional connection to their employer. The stronger and
more positive that connection, the more likely it is that the employee will
give their best effort - in fact, go the proverbial "extra mile" -
for the sake of their organization. While the vast majority of recent
experiences supports this idea,
capitalizing on it requires a very disciplined strategy of measurement and
response, as well as a long-term commitment of resources and talent. More
significantly, it may also require some organizational soul-searching.
At its core, employee
engagement is based upon the basic concept of reciprocity. The employer works
to create a work environment that is so emotionally satisfying and rewarding
for employees, that it literally invites them to become similarly invested
(engaged) in its long-term success. Like the any sport like cricket or
football, it is conceptually simple to grasp, but not necessarily easy to
execute well. One of the challenges is that emotional connections can be
difficult to measure and are prone to shift (in some cases quickly) in response
to changes in the work environment. More confounding is that these relations
are typically forged one employee at a time, yet are influenced by multiple
variables (reporting manager relationships, organizational mission and values, workload,
peer relationships, etc.). Add to this the cost/resource challenges created by
the recession or business cycles facing
the industry employee engagement as a
business improvement initiative can
quickly become a "nice to do" for better times.
WHY EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT
¨
In times of economic doom
and gloom, employees lose confidence and become fearful about the
organization's future. If there have been staff redundancies within an
organisation or targets aren't being met, there can be a downward spiral effect
on employee productivity which can further eat into organization performance.
However, when employees are emotionally and psychologically engaged with an
organisation, it will perform more effectively. This has a flow on effect as employees
become even more engaged. People take stronger ownership when they're involved
in the organization's improved performance and future development. They also
become more enthusiastic and supportive about what's happening in their work
environment. They Bring a consistently higher level of commitment, creativity
and energy to their jobs
¨
In creating a culture of
service, performance, and operational excellence, employee engagement is the
key that unlocks the door to customer loyalty. Unfortunately, the leadership
skills needed to create an environment that fosters employee engagement,
motivation, and trust are often elusive in many organizations. In an environment of high
engagement people can rightfully say… "I feel as though I make a
difference. My job allows me latitude to make decisions and implement them in
order to get the job done. At the end of the day I can look back and see what I
have been able to accomplish with a great feeling of satisfaction."
HOW TO START WITH EMPLOYEE ENGAGMENT?
We can easily “guestimate” five
common things that employees want, need, and expect from their employers need
to be more productive, valuable, and promotable within the organization.
#1 - COMMUNICATION
Few employees feel that
they get enough communication or information on company updates from their
boss. Open communication is key to creating and sustaining a culture of
excellence, as well as, increasing employee engagement and trust, customer
loyalty, and ultimately improving bottom-line results.
Open communication can be
in the form of: one-on-one updates with staff members; daily briefings with the
entire team; company newsletters and intranet updates; or through regularly
scheduled team or departmental meetings. Open communication does not mean
sharing confidential company information, but it should include keeping your
staff abreast of inter-company changes, financial results, customer feedback
(good or bad), and aware of new products and services that will soon be
launched.
Remember, from the
employee's perspective, there is always something new to share, and when you
open up the lines of communication, you lessen the likelihood of negative
gossip.
#2 - INVOLVEMENT
Creating fully engaged
employees, who have passion for driving excellence, also includes involvement.
Most employees want to be involved in the planning of work that affects them.
When employees are not involved it often contributes to misalignment,
negativity, and low morale.
Involving employees doesn't
mean getting their say on confidential business issues, but it does include
soliciting their feedback on workplace issues, processes or procedural changes
that will impact their work -- before they are implemented. When employees
understand the "why" and are involved to some extent in the improvement
process and implementation, you have a greater chance at creating sustainable
change, a high level of trust, buy-in, and support.
#3 – THE RIGHT RESOURCES
& RIGHT SUPPORT
When employees are provided
with the proper tools and resources to do a quality job, it creates a great
environment for holding everyone accountable for driving excellence. It also
demonstrates that the organization is serious about creating a work environment
where employees can thrive, be successful, and contribute to improving operational
and financial results.
Basic resources should include appropriate supplies
and equipment, along with learning and development opportunities to enhance and
grow employee competence, confidence, skill, and ability.
When was the last time you
assessed where you stand (as a leader) in providing the basic tools and
resources to ensure a job well done from your staff? If funding and budget cuts
are barriers, use the wisdom of your team to surface resourceful ways to ensure
they have what they need, while not causing a financial burden to the
organization.
#4 - RECOGNITION
Even in organizations who
profess that they do a good job in rewarding and recognizing staff members,
there are still many employees starving for it. That's often because the level
of recognition initiated often varies based on the departmental leader. I
believe that there should be multiple channels of reward and recognition
flowing throughout an organization; not only top-down recognition - which is
manager-to-employees, but also lateral recognition - which is peer-to-peer.
When employees feel they
are adequately recognized for a job well done, they become self-motivated to do
more with less. And for the most part, a sincere "thank you" with a
pat on the back from a manager or senior leader to a line employee can go a
long way in creating and sustaining a culture of excellence.
What ever the workforce
composition, employee engagement is strongly driven by the immediate manager
and his or her ability to meet employees' emotional requirements. In this
context, it is suggested that people are motivated more by intrinsic factors,
such as personal recognition, rather than simply focusing on extrinsic factors,
such as compensation. The following ideas can be executed with very little
cost for everyone and anyone….
¨
Invite successful teams to
present their project achievements to
top management.
¨
Start a staff appreciation
program. Award points for positive traits. Points may be redeemed for small
prizes or special privileges.
¨
Plan a surprise achievement
celebration for a staff member or team.
¨
Pass on the praise. If you
hear a positive remark about a person, repeat it to that person as soon as
possible--perhaps via email. . Publish a "kudos" column in your
newsletter. Ask staff to submit kudos for their peers.
¨
Call an employee to your
office to thank them.
¨
Express interest in your
staff members' professional development or personal accomplishments like Mohan
participated in the Mumbai Marathon.
¨
Establish relationships between staff and
upper management. One idea: send new employees out to lunch with the company
president.
¨
Mail thank you notes to
employees who work long hours for a
special project/crisis and start a program to curtail needless late working as
well
¨
Allow employees to select
their next assignments. If you can allow employees to choose their work, they
will be more engaged and dedicated.
¨
Designate successful teams
and employees as office consultants.
¨
Give employees an extra
long lunch break on occasion or convert this into a surprise party or
celebration of a company’s achievement
¨
establish a real generous Award to recognize employees
who consistently do their job well…. This should make the others jealous
atleast !!!
#5 - TRUST
Trust isn’t something you can buy. Trust is something you
earn. It’s based on a set of behaviors that can be learned, practiced, and
mastered. It’s a commitment that fundamentally informs how people think about
and interact with customers, suppliers, and coworkers. In time, it becomes an
organization’s way of being. An interesting trend
observed in most companies is that the employee perceptions drop after spending
6 months in the organization. It highlights the challenge in managing new hire
expectations and the possible gap in employer brand promise and the actual
experience. The change is largely
related to credibility of the commitments made by management, openness in communication
with seniors and recognition of work.
When leaders work diligently to keep the lines of communication
open, involve employees in the planning of work that impacts them, provide
employees with proper tools and resources, and consistently recognize exemplary
job performance - all of these elements contribute to creating a high level of
trust on both sides of the fence. In a good company ,
trust should manifests itself in every
relationship. Managers believe that employees want to be productive,
encouraging them to participate in the business. Employees act like owners.
They’re enthusiastic and passionate about their work and the company’s mission.
In a high-trust environment, people cooperate and collaborate, leading to
positive workplace interactions, higher profits, and greater productivity.
MASTER KEY ….ONE SIZE /FITS ALL?
Please note that every organization is different. There is a
crying need to fine tune their
engagement initiatives. employees in different demographic groups feel
differently about what's important to be emotionally engaged with their
employer. Three key differences are … career stage; employee gender and tenure
of employment within an organization need special attention and appropriate
action.
Career starters are more engaged emotionally through:
1.
professional support by
their immediate manager
2.
organization communication
about its direction
3.
organization values and behaviors
that they support
4.
organization commitment to
improving operating systems
5.
organization commitment to
high performance
6.
organization focus on team
performance
Employees with more established careers are more engaged
emotionally through:
·
trust and respect for their
immediate manager
·
high performance standards
for the organization
·
understanding how
organization strategies are met
·
fair HR policies and
procedures
·
their organization reducing
risk and acting responsibly
New starters are more engaged emotionally through:
·
the relationship with their
immediate manager
·
effective communication in
the organization
·
organizational performance
·
a customer service culture
within the organization
·
the organization reducing
risk
Longer serving employees are more engaged emotionally through:
·
the organization's long
term strategies and aims
·
HR policies and practices
·
plans and projects for
organizational long term success
This is not an exhaustive
list or a one lasting solution …. EMPLOYEE ENGAGMENT is a moving target. Creativity
& innovation ( a buzz word) today is needed also in employee engagement…
Remember what Peter Senge mentions in
The Learning Organisation”… what is the best today will be common-place
tomorrow…”
GIVE ME YOUR FEEDBACK… we could have a compendium of best
practices of Indian companies… To know how they invent & reinvent ways to delight their
employees.
Best wishes
|
Wilfred Monteiro
