Everyone seems to be talking about employee engagement. While most employers would agree they’d like to see high levels of commitment and engagement from their workforce, for many it has become the Holy Grail of management.
According to the CIPD, employee engagement is about ‘creating opportunities for employees to connect with their colleagues, managers and wider organisation. It is also about creating an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their work and really care about doing a good job.’
We probably all know instinctively that committed employees are much more productive and act as great ambassadors for the brand. They’re less likely to take sick leave. They’re more likely to remain loyal.
In this guide we provide a no-nonsense list of things you need to consider in pulling together an employee engagement programme.
1 Effective leadership is key
Effective leadership is important if you want to maintain a high level of employee engagement so here are some of the characteristics you would expect leaders to display. It’s critical that the boss shows that they value their employees, after all employee engagement is a huge reflection of how the employee feels about their boss. We know through our recent workplace study research that career progression is a key retention tool. If you offer opportunities for employees, they are far more likely to be engaged with their job and the organisation. Clarity of communication is vital; employees need to understand the vision of the company, why it’s important and what their role is in achieving it. Congratulating success and achievements, while showing how employees are contributing to the success of the organisation in a meaningful way is paramount. With evidence to suggest that working in teams can be far moreproductive than working on an individual basis, leaders need to be team builders and create an environment that fosters trust and collaboration. In addition, leaders should show confidence in decision-making and uphold high ethical standards to maintain their company’s reputation.
2 Show that you have a plan
Whether in good times or bad, it’s essential that employees are made aware of your company strategy. It’s very difficult for employees to feel engaged if they don’t truly understand the direction the organisation is moving in, or why. In our Happiness at Work research conducted in May 2009, more than one in four (28%) UK workers said that they are told nothing about business performance, with one in twenty even being discouraged from asking questions of the management team. As well as creating a confused and nervous workforce, this stores up problems for the future. Whilst it may not result in huge numbers of people heading for the exit now, many employers will see a significant brain drain when the economy does recover and people feel more secure to move jobs.
Be transparent about your plans and in communicating your long-term strategy. Not only will you ensure that everyone is working towards a common goal, you demonstrate your confidence in the organisation’s future as it focuses on what you can do, rather than what you can’t – particularly vital in these times of economic uncertainty. The result will be a committed and confident workforce who see themselves as an integral part of your long-term plan and vision.
3 Create a sense of purpose
Employees need to feel a sense of purpose for being at work, a reason and motivation as to why they come in every day and work for someone else.
The public sector is often hailed as a flag-bearer for getting this right as it naturally attracts employees who want to make a difference to the wider community. But the private sector can achieve the same commitment from its employees as long as the company’s values and purpose are clearly communicated. By understanding and believing in what the company stands for, seeing the value in its goods or services and seeing these delivered ethically and to a high standard, employees will have a clear sense of purpose and will feel more impassioned and committed to their objectives. Instilling a sense of purpose amongst your employees will ultimately give them the desire to contribute and really make a difference, which in turn will lead to higher motivation and productivity levels.
4 Employee performance management
Your employees want to know where they stand and how they are doing. And they deserve to know too. Regular feedback on both an informal and formal basis is essential. Creating an ongoing adult to adult dialogue around agreeing reasonable yet stretching goals and performance improvements is a necessary part of any manager’s role. Good performance management should be supportive, intended to bring out the best in people. All too often it is seen as the remedial action – and in some cases even a rather blunt tool for weeding out your poorer performers. But using performance management to manage out the under performers is just as likely to scare off your best performers too. In an ideal world your performance management should go beyond the set piece appraisals. Cultivate a culture that values open and actionable conversations.