A Roadmap to Employee Engagement

A Roadmap for Engaging Employees *

August 2014

* There are no short cuts

Some definitions

Engaged employees are: informed, motivated, productive, loyal, even passionate

(Happy) employees can also be very effective advocates for brand, company

Key engagement metrics include: Alignment with manager Satisfaction with job Likelihood to recommend

job Intent to stay or leave

Why this matters

THEORY

Engaged staff are better for a company’s bottom line, culture

Companies can’t succeed without informed, motivated employees

Disengaged staff erode business performance, miss work, hurt morale and drive away customers

Disengaged employees often become vocal critics of company – or negative ambassadors

STATS

Lost annual productivity in US due to actively disengaged: $500+ billion

On average only 1/3 of staff engaged, ~20% actively disengaged

Almost 90% of employers think staff leave for more money (only 12% do)

Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave company than disengaged staff

Organizations with highly engaged workforce achieve 2X annual net income of those lagging on engagement

Sources: Gallup, Towers Watson, Hay Group, ACCOR

Don’t just take it from me…The world’s top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives business outcomes.

Research shows that engaged employees are more productive employees. They are more profitable, more customer-focused, safer, and more likely to withstand temptations to leave the organization. In the best organizations, employee engagement transcends a human resources initiative — it is the way they do business.

Employee engagement is a strategic approach supported by tactics for driving improvement and organizational change. The best performing companies know that developing an employee engagement strategy and linking it to the achievement of corporate goals will help them win in the marketplace.

Gallup Consulting

Business impacts of engagement

Absenteeism

Turnover

Service/Product Quality

Safety Incidents

Customer Service

Productivity

Profitability Advocacy

Innovation

Who is your choice?

THIS is how some see engagement…

Information (we push)

Job (we direct)

Perks (we

choose)

Engagement (we make

money)

Translation: “This is not rocket science. You’re lucky to have a job.”

THIS is a more realistic approach…

Proactively look at all the factors that shape your

employees’ workplace routine to provide an integrated, relevant

(and positive) engagement experience.

THIS is what you should consider…

Engagement

Information

Roadmap

Incentive/Reward

Culture

Purpose

Brand

Participation/

Dialogue

Leadership

Training

Infrastructure

Put another way…

Who

Purpose

Culture

Brand

What

Information

Roadmap

Why

Incentive/Reward

Leadership

Culture

How

Training

Infrastructure

Participation/Dialogue

Consider the employee perspective…

Employee Questions Company OutputWhat do you want me to do? Job description. Annual goals. Career planning.

How will I know how I’m doing? Reviews. Performance Mgt. Coaching.

What’s in it for me? Compensation. Incentives. Recognition. Equity.

What’s in it for others? For the community?

Community outreach. Sustainability. Donations.

Who are we? Why do we exist? What is our purpose?

Mission. History. Values/Principles. Manifesto.

What is our value proposition? Brand (Customer & Employment), USP

How are we going to get there? Strategy. 3-Year Plan. Roadmap.

How will we measure success? How are we doing?

Earnings. Rankings. Customer Wins. Share value.

Why should I work here? Why should I stay?

EVP (comp/benefits). Career planning. Training.

Why/how should I talk to others about the company?

Advocacy programs. Social outreach. Ambassadors.

How do we work? What are our rules of the game?

Values. Policies. Guidelines. Mentors. Orientation.

Who is our leadership? What do they do? Leadership outreach. Manager cascades. Profiles.

How can I get involved – share my opinions and ideas?

Crowdsourcing. Surveys. Social platforms.

How can I improve my performance and prospects?

Development. Training. Coaching.

ASK yourself…

Are you proactively acting on all these elements? [If you are missing pieces, you’re unlikely to drive lasting

engagement] Do you know which issues matter most?

Where are biggest gaps? [Guessing is not a strategy]

Is your planning, execution strategic and aligned? [Make sure your plan is integrated, dynamic and focused]

Are you addressing key employee needs, questions? [Should blend company priorities with staff preferences]

Remember that…

Engagement is a dynamic process, not an event Make sure you are listening, responding, measuring,

reporting and adapting Focus on changing behaviors, processes and systems – not

just messages or programs Trust and credibility are required ingredients

Transparency and authenticity fuels relevance, impact Don’t be too serious, this can be fun

Gaming, humor & originality make content more compelling Be sure to customize, localize for relevance

Use data, input to segment and personalize outreach You can’t impose culture

Build on existing DNA, foster through recruitment

Initial ideas to drive engagement

Internal Branding

Execute compelling marketing campaign to illustrate, celebrate and recognize identity, DNAConsider using staff-generated stories, content to foster local relevance, authenticity

Trans-Media Storytelling

Develop original multi-media narrative content that details company vision, strategy and achievementsStrive to use innovative, intuitive technology and interactive platforms

Crowdsourcing Innovation

Boost participation and interest by involving staff in finding solutions to company challengesHave staff help rank, refine and manage best solutions

Real-Time Surveys

Use frequent, online surveys to gauge engagement, cultural alignmentLeverage data to drive hiring, manager outreach and workplace policies

Questions or comments?

bernie@thintwicecommunications.comwww.thinktwicecommunications.com

512-897-7359