As a management consultant, They see a serious lack of commitment at all levels in today’s economy, as various global engagement surveys show that less than 20% of employees are fully engaged. Every day, They see people walking around like zombies, dazed. What’s sad is that the situation seems to be getting worse, not better.
They have heard many opinions on how to solve the problem, but what impressed me most was the details in The Workplace Engagement Solution by David Harder. He speaks from his years of experience working with today’s leading companies, including Walt Disney, HBO, and Morgan Stanley. In the opinion, every company should follow all the action points, including the ones outlined here.
1. The CEO takes personal responsibility for improving engagement. It’s not enough to walk down the hall to HR and tell them to fix the problem. When an HR manager initiates an employee engagement effort, employees look over their shoulder at the CEO, looking for clues that mean it’s “business as usual” or that real engagement isn’t happening.
2. Leaders walk the talk and take a democratic approach. When employees don’t see their leaders stand up and lead by example, they are less engaged and motivated to give their best. The most effective leadership style for today’s workforce is a democratic participatory style where final decisions are retained.
3. Praise your employees consistently and sincerely. Praise alone is one of the most powerful motivators for engagement. Take the time to provide honest and specific feedback in a friendly yet professional manner, in front of colleagues. While a once-yearly bonus check or reward is nice, the occasional personal cash reward does not increase engagement.
4. Look for ways to keep your talent fresh and relevant. It all starts with hiring people who fit your desired culture. The right cultural fit is more important than skills or previous experience. Once hired, mentoring and ongoing training are key to engagement. Provide growth opportunities to retain your best talent.
5. Package engagement as an asset, not a cost. Your company’s success depends on your customers’ satisfaction, which in turn depends largely on your committed employees. So it’s important to stop thinking about the cost of your employees and instead focus on the benefits they bring to your company. Treat your employees as an extension of yourself.
6. Shift your vision from short-term to shared values. Without a clear sense of purpose, employees won’t be able to fully focus, pay attention, or engage in their work. It’s not enough to simply generate shareholder returns every quarter. Every company today needs a culture based on values that are shared by employees, customers, and shareholders.
7. Be transparent and promote transparency at all levels. In this age of extreme access to information, no one can hide relationships, business issues or financial impacts. In this new context, they can no longer ask our employees to take more responsibility without showing it ourselves. Attempting to hide the truth at any level reduces trust.
8. Respect your employees and learn from them. When interacting with others at work, it’s important to first find ways to connect and overcome differences. Learn and listen from a new colleague or have lunch with a colleague from another department. Mentors can be especially helpful in helping colleagues come out of their trances.
Organizations around the world say they spend billions of dollars every year to wake up and motivate their employees, yet nothing much changes. In fact, They believe the accelerating pace of change in technology and markets is a big part of the problem. This is not just disrupting traditional approaches to employee motivation and productivity.