FOR SALE: Engaged Employees. PRICE: Open Communication

Let me see if I can define employee engagement in one succinct sentence.

Employee engagement is members of an organization giving their best each day, being committed to their organization’s goals and values and being motivated to contribute to their organization’s success.

How did I do?

How about I make it even more succinct: Employee engagement is when management creates a work environment where employees care.

Yeah, that’s much, much better!

It is safe to surmise when the majority of a company’s employees are engaged (they care) then the company has an enormous competitive advantage. We have all dealt with employees who did not care (were not engaged). The retail sales associate who acts like you are bothering them. The CSR agent who just cites policy (Too bad, so sad, I can’t help you.). The salesperson who was motivated to sell to you, yet cannot be found when you have a question about your purchase or a problem. I would venture these experiences weren’t pleasant and did not motivate you to keep wanting to do business with that company unless absolutely necessary.

A recent post from HR Dive on August 9, 2017, states: New research from YouEarnedIt shows that, of the 750 employees studied, only 10% rated their employee experience a 10 out of 10.

• The study lists four "key pillars" of employee engagement:

1. Connection
2. Meaning
3. Impact
4. Appreciation.

It’s only human nature that employees need to feel connected to their colleagues and managers, to feel their work has meaning and impact on the company, and to be appreciated for the work (contribution) they do.

• 49% of respondents said culture influences their employee experience more than the physical environment (22%) or the technology they use to do their jobs (29%). A strong company culture is a must have.

You can tell when a company has mastered employee engagement when its employees, regardless of their place in the company’s pecking order, get up in the morning thinking, “Great, I’m going to work. I know what I’m going to do today. I’ve got some great ideas about how to do it really well. I’m looking forward to seeing my team and helping them achieve some goals today”.

The Temkin Group, a leading customer experience research, consulting, and training firm, in their February 2016 Employee Engagement Benchmark Study concluded, “Companies with stronger financial performances and better customer experience have employees who are considerably more engaged than their peers.

Look at your co-workers. How many of your employees are truly engaged in their work? Be honest with yourself, are you engaged in your work? Are you engaged with your company’s success?

According to Gallup, Inc., only 32% of U.S. employees are actively engaged (More astonishing is worldwide, according to Gallup, 87% of employees are not engaged.), which in my opinion is a crisis most companies ignore.

By now it is well accepted that employee engagement is the key driver of customer experience. I think we finally get it! What now needs to be widely accepted; there are no hacks to employee engagement.

Trust, integrity, two-way commitment and communication between an organization and its members are non-negotiable foundations of employee engagement. Done right it dramatically increases the chances of business success.

If there’s a willingness to changing management’s cultural mindset to having constant open communication and providing ample opportunities for such dialogue to take place then creating a workplace where employees are engaged is not difficult.

Open communication inevitably enhances employee engagement.

Here is a few suggestion to create forums for open communication:

Key: L = Leaders, A = All Associates

• Friday Lounge

L: Set up a recurring time on Friday afternoons (i.e. once a month) to host an informal conversation with your team. Talk about recent activities, what’s coming up next and issues that may be top of mind.

A: Even though you’re busy, prioritize opportunities to talk to your team and colleagues, it helps everyone succeed.

• Open Door Policy

L: Set aside certain hours (visibly post them) of the week to be available to discuss issues with your team and answer questions.

A: Proactively bring up issues and questions.

• Skip-Level Listening Sessions

L: Host a listening session with associates on your team who don’t report directly to you; especially those in department your team deals with consistently or needs support from. Keep the discussion open and casual.

A: Let senior leaders know that you would appreciate the opportunity to talk directly to them.

• Team Events

L: Host an informal get-together for your team. It can be as simple as ordering in lunch, organizing a bowling night or attending a baseball game.

A: Offer to organize a team event.

• Actively Drive Diversity

L + A: Actively seek input from colleagues who may bring different experience and insights to a business problem you are trying to solve. There’s a good chance someone in your team has experienced the problem in a previous work life. Listen respectively to others and constructively share your opinions.

• Schedule a Feedback Session with Your Manager

L + A: Talk with your manager on an ongoing basis about your strengths and area for development and then implement targeted action based on the feedback.

Communication is a Two-Way Street

L: Encourage feedback and questions at team meetings and in general. Create a culture where everyone`s point of view matters.

A: Share your viewpoints and listen to the point of view of others.

• Provide Input

L + A: Share with your manager, HR, C-Suite Executives, etc. how your company can better create a strong culture of engagement.

Realistically leaders cannot be expected to be aware of every issue facing their organization, which is why they need to pay attention to those who are closest to the problem.

Holistically a business is a living, breathing entity; an ecosystem. It inevitably undergoes changes, it grows and recedes, it gets broken and heals. The employees (people) are the individual cells working together to ensure the entity (organization) is healthy, productive, and thriving. In 2017, leadership has more tools at its disposal to create healthy employee engagement. Maybe the 2017 Gallup’s survey will report a positive radical shift in how people show up to work.