There are 100s of employee engagement surveys and consulting firms out there. Yet the rate of engagement is the lowest it’s been in decades.
WHY? ARE WE WORSE GETTING WORSE AT CREATING ENGAGING WORK ENVIRONMENTS OR JUST BETTER AT MEASURING IT?
Probably both. It stands to reason that that the more something is measured or tested for (see Cancer) it’s occurrence tends to increase. The problem is that this is a two or three year trend. Maybe there is something else behind the downward trend. From my (not so objective) perspective it has a lot to do with how companies utilize engagement.
It’s as if engagement is the New Years resolution to lose weight in the corporate world. In the beginning its exciting and well intentioned. Everyone is on board. Energy is high. Until the realization hits that it’ll take some work to get in shape! Then, all of a sudden, people “don’t have time for engagement”. What can we do about this unfortunate trend?
MAKE THE GOAL OF ENGAGEMENT TO IMPACT BUSINESS RESULTS –
Yes, its nice to have engaged employees. But, what are they engaged in? Why are they happy? Link engagement to improving the metrics that are important to the business! If your goal for engagement is to “have more engaged employees” you can be sure its doomed to failure. Tie engagement to operational goals that are tangible and measurable. They will likely be taken seriously then.
MAKE EVERYONE ACCOUNTABLE FOR ENGAGEMENT –
Engagement is everyone’s concern. Work is much like a relationship. Each party is responsible for the overall success.
• The organization – Must create an environment where engagement is vital. That means tying engagement to organizational goals.
◦ Weaving engagement into communication, training, etc
◦ Making engagement part of leadership competencies
◦ Touting engagement in annual reports, etc.
• Leaders/Managers
◦ Make engagement part of their responsibilities
◦ Weave engagement into all leadership training
◦ Hold leaders accountable for great and horrible engagement
• Employees – Yes, employees are responsible for their own AND their team’s engagement. It can’t be that employees sit back and say – Make me engaged. They have to take action and own their own engagement.
◦ Give them accountability AND authority to improve their own and their team’s engagement
◦ Make engagement part of their responsibilities
BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT RESULTS AND PROGRESS –
It is VITAL that engagement results and progress are communicated regularly as quickly as possible.
• Announce results within days or up to two business weeks from completion of the survey
• Make sure the results contain the good, the bad AND the ugly
• Regularly update employees about the progress of engagement
◦ What new programs are being implemented as a result of engagement input
◦ How engagement has impacted the business results
DON’T FOCUS ON THE SURVEY OR TOOLS –
It is important that the survey used has questions that are actionable and there are tools to support working on engagement throughout the year. However, the focus of the engagement effort should NOT be on the survey.
• It’s not about having 100% participation
• It is not about focusing on “completing action plans”
Don’t get caught up believing the mechanics of the survey or survey process will make the organization engaged. That is like saying the best treadmill will magically make you thin and healthy. It won’t. The treadmill is a tool that can be used to start a healthy lifestyle. But the treadmill alone won’t make you healthy. You have to eat well, make healthy choices, stop sitting on the couch, etc.
Therein lies the rub. Both treadmill and engagement survey can either be symbols. The treadmill can be a symbol of:
• Dedication to your health and well being. The tool that started your journey to a “new you” OR
• Another gimmick to be thin and a great place to dry delicate clothes
The engagement survey can be a symbol of:
• The organization’s dedication to creating an engaged workplace and workforce
• Lip service to show people that the organization cares
Which one will move the organization towards high performance?
Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.
Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
