Employee engagement is a mark of success, HR professionals heard at an Ai Group webinar this week.
Highly engaged employees are more productive and less likely to take time off work, Ai Group’s Principal Adviser of HR Consulting, Catherine Dawson, said.
“It’s how a person connects with the business,” she said.
“It’s not just about flicking a switch or implementing casual Fridays. They want to feel their contribution is meaningful.
“Organisations need to connect to the head, hearts and hands of their employees.
“Think about the steps you need to take to ensure your employees are valued, validated and empowered.”
According to Forbes, employee engagement occurs when a workplace is designed around its company values.
Engaged employees are “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their workplace”, says Gallup.
“This is an invitation for employers to actively ensure the company mission is aligned to the way in which employees work today — and how they want to work tomorrow,” Ms Dawson said at the webinar for Ai Group’s HR Professionals Network, Victoria.
Doing so directly affects the company’s bottom line.
“Employee engagement helps an organisation deliver on business goals and strategic plans,” Ms Dawson said.
“It is the link between what an employee thinks on a daily basis about what they are doing and how that relates to the overall goals of the business.
“However, what engagement means to you may look completely different to someone else, so bear that in mind when you talk to your teams.”
Employees who are engaged at work:
An employer’s ability to ignite an emotional connection among workers results in loyalty, commitment and discretionary effort.
“It doesn’t call for massive changes; it is about asking and listening and having in place avenues so employees can provide feedback,” says Ms Dawson.
The challenge for leaders is to demonstrate that each person has an important and meaningful role to play, irrespective of level and position.
Employees who enjoy authentic connections with their leaders gain a valuable insight into the ‘why’ behind their work and are more likely to feel a strong desire to ‘go the extra mile’ as there is alignment between personal goals and the organisation’s mission and values.
“Think about your own situation,” Ms Dawson said.
“How are you connected to your workplace? What makes you want to get up and go to work every day besides getting paid? What keeps you going back?”
Conduct an employee survey to determine what is going well and what isn’t.
Obtain useful insight into where employers should invest their time and energy.
“Be consistent with this,” says Ms Dawson.
“Doing it every year provides insight and a baseline to keep measuring to see how you are going. If people don’t have that opportunity, they will walk or they will become disengaged. They will be present, but not present — or absent.”
It is important for leaders to notice the positives and provide balanced feedback.
Go out of your way to share with each team member what is going well and look for ways in which an employee victory can be shared with the team.
Ask genuine questions of team members to learn what is important.
The ‘small stuff’ shows employees you care. Always seek ways to lead inclusively and ask “who have I forgotten?” and “how can I best leverage the unique skills and talents of all my team?”
Avoid micromanaging employees; rather, empower them to reach their full potential and encourage them to think and operate outside of their traditional position boundary.
Learn the unique needs of each employee.
“Unfortunately for leaders, team members are not cut from the same cloth,” Ms Dawson said.
“Sometimes a leader can devise a world class flexibility program and be left scratching their head when not all employees are engaged.
“Each member of staff has their own unique employee value proposition (EVP), so while flexibility might be a big tick for many, others are seeking involvement in national project teams or wanting the business to support them in formal training opportunities.”
Leaders are encouraged to discover the unique EVP of each employee and determine what can be easily achieved and what might need to be part of a longer-term plan.
“Employee engagement is something many HR professionals are aware of, but it’s wise to think about these issues and bring them back to front of mind,” Ms Dawson said.
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
