Employee engagement blue print

                                             Employee engagement blue print

Retaining, inspiring, providing congenial environment to employees through employee engagement is the key for employees in services industry. Recruiting teams engaged in bringing best and right hires to the company, while it is the management who has to see to it that the employees are retained and work without any mental or emotional strain. Management who is the key stake-holder is accountable to provide employees a working environment where the employees thrive.

One cannot motivate an individual at work, i.e. Workforce/ employee comes to work because they are already motivated. Questions asked then why employees switch jobs, why the employee-manager equation is being questioned, why the question of favouritism arises and many more.

Organizations doling out funds for the year, engagement team to execute it, however not sure how much does it impact the retention or any other factors? Events, festive seasons are celebrated but the staff not happy at times due to unknown reasons. The point is does the engagement events are designed in line with their aspirations.

Studies suggest that it is the “Self-actualization” stage where the workforce brings all the creativity, problem solving skills, innovation and work without being prompted.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs provides a framework where organizations can knit a healthy work culture wherein employees may bring best on the table.

Physiological needs – Companies giving pay above average to attract the talented professionals. People leave jobs for Moolahs. People are motivated and hence they come to work, they do not need fancy festive, parties etc. to get motivated. Companies need take care of their financial needs by paying above average salary.

Companies walking the extra-mile by assisting them with education loans for their children, providing leaves as incentives etc. Companies having snacks, lunch, dinner on the house.

Companies have state of the art facilities like gym, free hair-cuts, library, onsite-medical staff, laundry facility etc.

Safety needs-Companies have even gone to the extent of having “No layoff” policy. This indicates that employees are secured in their jobs. Employees are not distracted by external economic pressures and they spend their majority of time in productive, innovative, creative work.

Equality-How to give a feel of a family? That answers the question. Often companies have gone to the extent of calling their employees “associates”, “family members”, etc. Companies are not biased and illustrate that they hire employees and treat their employees irrespective of gender, age, culture, race, national origins, color, creed etc. Companies have to provide an environment where there is a sense of belongingness. Some companies do not call their employees as employees, it is considered as a crime to call them as employees. The companies should follow open door policy, bottom-up approach in decision making.  

Recruitment & Training-Companies receive many applications for jobs. They have a robust recruitment process. They filter employees at each level. Companies have competency based questionnaires. If they find a prospect technically the best but does not mesh with the company’s culture they do not hire him/her. After the robust recruitment process it has to be supported by the training team or sponsorship program. Employee has to be inducted and briefed about organization’s policies. Prospect will get a rough idea about organization’s culture.

Companies even have a buddy program, where a mentor or a senior employee is assigned to hand hold and have a smooth knowledge transfer. As per the maxim “First impression is the last impression” it goes very appropriate here, these are companies first impressions and has to controlled with utmost care.

Leaders shout lead, and not give orders- After the efforts of Recruitment & Training a company has put in hiring the right talent, it is not appropriate that mangers give orders to their subordinates. Such talented people need no direction to do work, they are already motivated and creative, innovative people who needs no interference. So managers in some companies follow the rule “Give what the employees need and get out of their way”. If all the above needs are satisfied then managers don’t need to micromanage.

Managers don’t need to micromanage their employees; if they do then they breach the trust with their subordinates. Management by numbers is not the theory they adopt here. Let me give me some examples of companies who don’t follow this theory- Zappos, Google, Southwest Airlines, WL Gore & Associates Ltd etc. These companies have scored very high in Great Place to Work.

The blue print to employee engagement is Empowering employees in line with their aspirations is the key. To sight some examples forum where employees can come and express themselves in large or small groups, providing a forum to share best practices, also leverage self-forming groups in an organization. Allowing employees to spend at least 10 % of their time in doing a project matching their aspirations. License employees to setup their own goals and may tweak it as per their aspirations (Managers may assist here).

Note: The observations are personal and not against any organization’s employee engagement practice.