EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
One of the absolutely crucial things about employee engagement is consistency . Rather than viewing employee engagement in isolation , as something that needs to be ticked off a to do list or done in silo to the rest of the business – it should really be seen as a collection of habits ( things that as a leader you say , do and act as a role model ) that , when performed , consistently underpin the culture of an organisation .
When viewed in this way , the context in which people are working ( whether that be officebound , from home or even a different country ) doesn ’ t really matter – the wants and needs of employees are still the same .
For business leaders who are struggling with employee engagement there are a number of steps that you can take to engender higher
EMPLOYEES WITH VERY LITTLE INFORMATION MAY TAKE VARIOUS SNIPPETS AND END UP MAKING SOMETHING UP – BELIEVING THEY ARE ABOUT TO BE MADE REDUNDANT OR THE BUSINESS IS DOWNSIZING . levels of engagement in your team or organisation . But even just focusing on two to three habits , but with intensity and frequency , will reap rewards .
Never underestimate the value of making time for your people .
We all have an innate desire to be heard , so block-out engagement time every single week . You will also find that in the long run it will make you more productive as you ’ ll know exactly what ’ s happening in your organisation .
This is especially important right now when employees may feel isolated from the main business . Have two-way conversations with them , don ’ t simply communicate . It is also important to build a personal connection – get to know your employees on a personal level and show them that you care about them as employees and individuals .
Make sure that you spend time connecting with different influencing groups in your company . Don ’ t just talk to your direct reports , talk to people at all levels . You may spend a lot of time talking to a line manager but forget to prioritise everyone lower down in the company . You need to build credibility and reliability across the board . If you are a CEO it is important to make sure that managers beneath you are engaged .
There is often an assumption that line managers are engaged simply because they have the title leader or manager . Lots of middle managers are disengaged and in turn , it ’ s impossible to engage somebody when you ’ re not engaged yourself . What ’ s on the inside , eventually manifests itself on the outside .
Finally , the past 12 months have seen unprecedented uncertainty , as well as cutbacks and redundancies . A crucial factor in this climate is transparency and not to give fantasy oxygen . In the absence of fact , people join the dots and create fantasy . Employees with very little information may take various snippets and end up making something up – believing they are about to be made redundant or the business is downsizing .
In work , our fantasies tend to be negative . Being open and transparent with employees , even if you are having to make some difficult decisions , will only benefit you and the organisation in the long run .
The Engagement Habit by Mark Gregory and Alex Lewis is available to buy now .
MARK GREGORY , CO-AUTHOR OF THE ENGAGEMENT HABIT
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