Employee Engagement: the beginning and end of success

I've been really struck by the number of clients that I've worked with who are insistent about one thing: their team must be at the centre of change. I've found this really reassuring as the Brand Discovery Day that I offer has had the most traction in recent times. I've seen a real change in attitudes among those who head up the business and that is inspiring to see.

There is of course a lot of commentary around the importance of employee engagement whether that be in order to retain or attract talent but employee engagement for those who are already committed to the business is particularly important - those who are potentially loyal already but need a constant reason to remain that way. It's so much easier to retain than to search more widely for new blood to join. Worrying then, that a recent Gallup survey suggests that only 15% of employees worldwide feel engaged in their job.

It doesn't need to be difficult. Employee engagement should be at the heart of the business and can take many forms from the complex to the more straightforward. Whatever the approach it should be authentic.

Consistent and company wide communication

Engagement should mean that the workforce feels involved in the business on a day to day basis. The cracks start to appear when knowledge fails to be shared and employees feel out of the loop, and worse still start to fill in the gaps with their own truth. I've been in this situation myself and it's isolating and promotes a sense of vulnerability. In many cases too much information is often better than not enough.

Visual cues that progress is being made

There's nothing more powerful than visual proof that the business is evolving whether that be evidence of new marketing and advertising or something much simpler than that. The best examples I've seen are when messaging starts to fill the offices and even greets you through the front door. New products showcased and scattered around conference rooms. Newness is noticed and brings hope and positivity that is infectious.

Team cascades and 1-2-1

This sounds so obvious but in fact the lack of consistent catch ups is startling. I've experienced large global businesses where this has either not happened or has been postponed multiple times. Not only does this breed an "every man for himself" culture but it also demonstrates strongly how little these meetings are valued by the Heads of departments. I've spent many hours waiting for latecomers or sitting in meetings that haven't been planned. It's annoying and to be honest can be deeply depressing. In my experience the most important part of management is managing down. If you don't feel valued then any goodwill is surface-deep. Low level commitment. Weak loyalty and engagement.

Internal research and opinion

We have all heard about the benefits of innovation and those companies which get it right. The common trait that these businesses share is their openness to feedback and ideas from all levels of the business. Multiple approaches are initiated to ensure that feedback is captured and used. Real appetite for feedback and an integrated approach to incorporating that into the bowels of the business. No-one likes empty words, and empty words without action are not only meaningless but suggest a mistrust of the working population.

The importance of training

For me, the most important part of communication is in training. Latterly, as the Head of Insight at Clarks, the difference between successful projects and those which fell flat is embedded learning. New direction, new ideas and new approaches will not be taken on board automatically. We all learn and assimilate in different ways and it's vital to take ALL employees on the journey. As we all know, people are very different in the way that they learn and communicate, and what's easy for one is more difficult for another. Think about all the personality tests that are in circulation these days. One of the key truths is that what you think is obvious and easy to understand is more than likely completely alien for someone else. It's important to teach and then repeat and repeat again...

Case Study: The segmentation of a business

The best example I can give of an approach which fundamentally changed the direction of a retail business was an exercise which segmented the high street globally. We'd segmented our target consumer and then decided for the second part of the strategy to segment the types of retail store. The theory was that if you identify different types of consumer, you'll be able to segment the stores that they visit so that you can put the right product, in the right store for the right customer. This piece of work was massive but successful because we brought the learning to each and every market. We presented the theory, took the trainees onto the high street to put the theory into practice and then drilled down into each and every learning. Each team was then sent out to another market and asked to do the exercise for themselves. Teach - trial - do.

The project was long, time consuming and in some cases painful. But every single member of the team understood by the end. They bought into the process and started to think in the same way automatically. The result? A transformed sales force that could put the theory into practice and pull together a compelling story for their accounts. Not only were they informed but they started to really believe. Feeling empowered they started to venture out to secure new accounts and pretty soon the retail landscape was fresh and renewed.

Engagement or die

Whatever the project or wider strategy, its the employee that will ensure its success. Look for shortcuts and easy ways out and you'll pay the price. Engagement doesn't need to be all bells and whistles. It doesn't always need to work. Mistakes can be made. But it is fundamental to ensure that the employee knows that they are included at the beginning and the end of journey.

Because we all want to feel valued. To feel part of a community or a family. We work better when we have clarity and work more willingly when the objectives are combined into a joint and shared strategy.

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