Engaging Employees
Engaging and Aligning Employees is Crucial in Tough Times
Right Management recently conducted a survey of more than 650 senior leaders and human resource professionals to identify the most important leadership practice fundamental to achieving business goals during tough times. More than half (51%) of respondents cited “engaging employees to ensure organizational alignment and commitment” as being the most important leadership practice.
So how do you engage employees, or re-engage them? Lessons from the field of positive psychology indicate the importance of paying attention to how people feel before you focus on what you want them to do. In her book, Exuberance, John Hopkins psychiatry professor Kay Redfield Jamison writes, “In times of adversity, inspired leadership offers energy and hope where little or none exist.”
To Lead Change, Communicate With People Not To Them
I recently had a prospective client ask me how I would create a communication plan that would convince people to support a change. My response was that any communication plan should focus on communicating with people, not to them.
As Peter Bregman writes in his book, Point B: A Short Guide to Leading Big Change, providing information is important in any change. But, he writes, “tell & sell” isn’t enough. Real change happens when every person impacted is actively engaged in the process of change – to the point where they become owners – not targets of the change.
Just last week, Melissa Dutmers of RiverFork Consulting posted 9 questions to ask when leading a change:
Video: Make Behavior Change Fun
Another great way to influence people’s behavior – make it fun!
In addition to the fun factor, I think this video illustrates another powerful point. People are curious. In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath demonstrate how powerful it can be to start a talk or a class by using a question or a mystery:
For our idea to endure, we must generate interest and curiosity. How do you keep students engaged during the forty eighth history class of the year? We can engage people’s curiosity over a long period of time by systematically “opening gaps” in their knowledge — and then filling those gaps.
Today’s takeaway: Are you leveraging fun and curiosity to interest people in your change effort?
Go Ahead, Make Their Day
Are you taking time to genuinely connect with your employees?
A few weeks ago I attended a panel discussion about the impact of executive actions on employee engagement. One of the executive panelists, Steve Bigari spoke about the importance of really caring about employees as individual people. By dressing as waiter and serving coffee before the meeting, he illustrated the point that leaders often don’t see the “invisible” people in their own organizations.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Bigari’s demonstration lately because I am preparing to teach a class on motivating and retaining employees. While there are many aspects of motivation to be explored, I think the most fundamental point is that every employee needs to be seen and know that he/she is respected and valued as a person.
Patrick Lencioni, author of The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, asserts that anonymity is a driving force in what makes people miserable at work. He writes: “People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known.”
Commitment and Morale Worsen Post-Layoffs
Has your company held layoffs this year? If so, chances are high that the layoffs are taking a toll on the morale of your employees.
A survey released last month by Watson Wyatt found that:
- Employee engagement for workers at all levels dropped 9 percent last year and close to 25 percent for top performers.
- Compared to last year, top performers are 20 percent less likely to recommend their organization to job seekers and 14 percent less likely to remain with their company.
For more results from the Watson Wyatt 2009/2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey, click here.
To learn how to re-engage and re-energize your workforce post-layoffs, check out our e-book: Leading after Layoffs.
Thought Provoking Video on Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is more than a yearly survey. It’s about connecting your people with your strategy. Check out this terrific video from Coffman Organization.
The Power of Metaphors
I recently co-facilitated an offsite for the Human Capital team within a government agency. The leader of the group started the session with an fun, simple, and powerful activity. She began by asking each person to quietly think about their team as it is today and then draw an animal that represents the team currently. Next she asked everyone to draw an animal that represents the team they would like to become. Finally everyone went around the table and shared their drawings and what they represented.
I was fascinated by how rich the resulting discussion was. While people chose different animals, there were a lot of similar references. The animals they chose for the future tended to represent characteristics such as speed and agility coupled with teamwork.
Is Higher Turnover Around the Corner?
With unemployment at 9.5%, the war for talent may not be on many employers’ minds. But the pendulum may soon swing the other way.
In July, Newsweek reported that 54% of employed Americans plan to look for a job when the recession ends. The percentage is even higher for 18-29 yr. olds with 71% saying they want to make a change.
History teaches us that trends in the job market shift every few years. In the 90′s tech talent was in demand. Post-911 the bubble burst and the market favored employers. By June 2003, the tide had turned and there was a shortage of talent in most fields. 2007 – well you know what happened. Reports from many sources indicate that the economy is recovering and we are on the way out of the current recession. What are you doing now to engage and retain your employees?
A Terrific Resource for Teambuilding and Training
Steve Arneson, leadership expert and examiner.com contributor, recently posted about a great website called BusinessBalls.com.
Arneson writes:
Looking for a cool team-building activity? You’ll find it here. How about a brainstorming technique or process? Check. Popular business models or frameworks? All the big ones are listed here.I checked out the site myself and was stunned to see an index that included hundreds of categories on a wide variety of topics. Everything from video clips to fables to models and diagrams! Check it out – but beware – hours may go by before you realize it!
Younger Workers Experiencing More Anxiety at Work
A new MetLife Mature Market Institute study, conducted in partnership with Boston College’s Sloan Center on Aging & Work, indicates that the economic downturn has had a greater psychological effect on younger workers than it has on workers of the Baby Boomer and Traditionalist generations.
The results of the study are summarized in the report, “Engaging the 21st Century Multi-Generational Workforce.”
The primary focus of the study was on whether generational differences matter when it comes to employee engagement. In short, the answer is yes. Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes, Ph.D., director of the Sloan Center says, “We found that different factors ‘drive’ the levels of engagement of different groups of employees.”
While the insight into engaging the different generations is reason enough to read the report, I was particularly interested in the findings related to how different groups of employees are weathering the economic storm.
