How To Unleash Commitment and Create Engaged Employees

 

Employee engagement is the extent to which employees commit to their jobs, their employer and their organization.  Every employee has a built-in capacity for commitment.  Most start a new job with a strong sense of commitment only to have it snuffed out by poor managers and ineffective leaders.

 

Highly engaged employees try harder, accomplish more and speak positively about their organization.  They are committed to the bottom line, feel pride in their jobs and a sense of ownership.   They produce significantly higher levels of performance and exert additional levels of discretionary effort in terms of time and energy.

 

An engaged workforce is one that is involved, occupied, committed and highly participative. Workers feel they have a good deal and aren’t generally looking for work elsewhere.  They are an asset that can’t easily be attracted away by the competition.

 

Jack Welch, in his recently published book, “Winning,” says, “To have a fighting chance, companies need to get every employee, with every idea in their heads and every morsel of energy in their bodies, into the game.”  In other words, companies need employees who are truly committed to making their strategies work.

 

We tend to know how to develop a good strategy for growing our organizations over a three or five year period.  Execution of our plans is where we typically fall short.  Big goals require the unified commitment of a workforce and the energy to overcome the inevitable breakdowns and obstacles faced along the way.

 

The teams that win are generally those that are most determined to break through barriers and succeed.  This won’t happen without committed and engaged employees who like what they do and feel a strong sense of purpose and trust.

 

How is such a highly committed and engaged workforce created?  By paying particular attention to eight key elements:

 

1. Leadership.  There has to be a strong commitment to build leaders’ skills to drive employee engagement.  Leader ability (from the most senior levels to the front-line) to coach, communicate, understand individual and team needs and desires, be respectful and appreciative, and to focus on accountability are especially important.  Every leader needs to be personally committed to examining which practices and habits are encouraging and discouraging high levels of employee engagement.  Only then can they more effectively and proactively motivate those around them to become more engaged.
   
   
2. Capacity to hire right.  This requires focusing on more than the traditional knowledge, skills and abilities in the selection process.  It requires paying particular attention to values and interests and how they align with job and culture.  It requires benchmarking jobs and then using highly validated objective assessment tools to identify the best possible job/talent matches.
   
   
3. Employee Development.  Employee engagement levels rise with the successful completion of individual development plans (aligned with organizational goals and strategies) supported by an able and effective manager.  Accountability systems must be in place to ensure that managers make these development plans a priority.  Furthermore, the better an organization is at developing its workforce’s ability to interact, be team oriented, adapt quickly, manage conflict and stay focused on personal and organizational goals, the more likely it is to optimize employee engagement.
   
   
4. Engagement Barriers.  Requires identifying and removing barriers that get in the way of higher levels of engagement. Often this requires knowing what is really going on in the organization.  Make sure employees feel empowered to make meaningful decisions about how they do their job and have opportunities for input into decision-making processes that affect them.
   
   
5. Integration and Alignment of HR Systems.  Ensuring all HR systems (selection/recruitment, performance management, leadership development, workforce development, succession management) are fully aligned and integrated with business planning processes and strategies and that they support a high-engagement culture.
   
   
6. Business Targets.  Channeling engagement efforts to those places in the organization where performance is critical.  Ensure that all employees clearly understand organizational goals and that development efforts are aligned with business strategy. 
   
   
7. Support and Recognition.  Go above and beyond where recognition and rewards are concerned.  Surprise employees with the unexpected.  Be creative, show ample appreciation and develop support programs that demonstrate that you truly understand their needs and interests.   Teach people how to give and receive feedback and ensure ongoing feedback delivery is a supportive and effective process.
   
   
8. Organizational Culture.  Building an organizational culture characterized by connection, contribution and credibility.  Promote and encourage teamwork and collaboration.  Make sure there is room for people to have fun and enjoy humour.
   
   

Whether you are a front-line supervisor or senior executive, four important questions to ask yourself are, “Do I completely understand the impact of my behaviour on employee engagement?”, “How am I doing?”, “How is our organization fairing?” and “What can I personally do to create higher levels of engagement?” 

 

Managing employee engagement is no simple task.  It takes a comprehensive, integrated and holistic approach by leaders who have a solid understanding of what engagement is and the impact of their behaviours and policies on levels of engagement and disengagement. 

 

Take stock of how many of the elements or strategies identified above are being managed well in your workplace.  If your score is anything less than perfect, it’s time to take action.  Employee engagement is an organization’s competitive advantage to win or lose.  If you want help, give me a call 708.701.8178 or send me an email cwright@wright-group.ca