Employee engagement is one of the top issues, that most business leaders are focused on in today’s workplace. Here are some of the top trends from organisations making real headway in employee engagement.
Recognition beyond remuneration
This year’s global study from AON identified the Rewards and Recognition area as the strongest contributor to employee engagement. Unlike prior years, this is about rewards and recognition outside of your regular pay cheque.
By creating a culture that recognises employees first and foremost, companies can contribute to the sense of accomplishment that we get from our work. For example in one study, employee engagement increased by nearly 60% when people managers performed strongly in providing regular recognition for their employees.
When it comes to the big businesses, Google is known for its recognition program called ‘gThanks’ and also created a ‘Wall of Happy’ where staff can place ‘thank you’ notes to recognise each other’s hard work and motivate others. Hugely successful, it requires no more investment than a sign, some post-it notes and a bit of promotion.
How do you reward your team? What’s your equivalent Wall of Happy?
Providing the tools to do the job
According to Gallup, less than one-third of employees strongly agree that they have the materials and equipment they need to do their work right.
When those tools and equipment are missing, it not only affects productivity but also the health and wellbeing of your team. What’s more, when an employee puts up their hand and asks for resources to help them do their job properly, often these requests are ignored or poorly handled. This can send a message you expect them to perform with their hands tied.
Does your team have all the things necessary to meet the expectations you set for them?
What’s the true cost of not providing these tools?
Do you give honest and acceptable explanations when these requests can’t be met?
Business agility
No-one wants to work for a stale and crusty organisation that isn’t moving with the times.
Leaders who are constantly evolving, finding new ways of doing things and embracing agile work practices give their people the skills to be successful in environments that change all the time – and this results in improved employee engagement.
Many of the most flexible and adaptive enterprises – Amazon, Spotify, Google, Netflix, Bosch, Saab, SAP, Salesforce and Riot Games, to name a few, consistently have high staff engagement scores which are considered a product of their agile work practices.
Is your workplace at risk of becoming a dinosaur?
What practices do you have in place to ensure you and your team are moving with the times?
Making purpose a priority
A leader’s most important job is to connect the people to the company’s purpose because purpose-driven companies have been shown to outperform their peers over the long-term.
Some major companies have developed specific purpose statements like ING Bank (“Empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and in business”), Kelloggs Food Company (“Nourishing families so they can flourish and thrive”) and IAG Insurance Group (“To help people manage risk and recover from the hardship of unexpected loss”).
Others build purpose through their corporate social responsibility efforts. For examples, Salesforce took the top position in the Great Places To Work awards in late 2018 largely due to their 1-1-1 philanthropic model where they dedicate one percent of their products, people and resources to not-for-profits, with each team member encouraged to spend 56 hours per financial year giving back to the community.
How do you connect your team to the purpose?
Are there things you can do in your team to build a sense of meaning in their work?
Embracing HR tech
Annual employee engagement surveys give a snapshot in time and take around a month to get out there, before being followed by many action plans. In today's fast-paced business environment, getting a check on engagement levels once a year may be far too late.
Another option is the employee pulse survey – a fast and frequent survey system that does away with complex questions and is rolled out weekly, or every few weeks. There are many apps and tools available that can give you a quick insight into a company’s health.
Combined with a more in-depth annual survey, followed by a swift and visible plan, will give you the tools to make a big impact on engagement.
Do you really know your employee's engagement today?
What HR analytics enabled by technology make sense for you?
In today’s modern workplace, employee engagement has such a tangible impact on business outcomes that while it feels like the buzzword of the decade, it can be invaluable in helping your employees be more connected, passionate and productive.
If you're serious about building a team of engaged employees, contact a recruitment agency like Trojan Recruitment Group and get advice from the experts in labour hire, temp recruitment and permanent and contract staff.
https://www.aonhewitt.com.au/Home/Resources/Reports-and-research/2018-Trends-in-Global-Employee-Engagement-report
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-five-trademarks-of-agile-organizations
https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/deloitte-review/issue-16/employee-engagement-strategies.ht
https://q12.gallup.com/Public/en-us/Question/QUESTION_2
https://www.lifehack.org/389636/5-companies-who-understand-that-employees-deserve-recognition
https://www.heflo.com/blog/business-management/organizational-agility/
http://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/featured/best-places-work-2018/
