3 things you can do to improve engagement
Key Elements of People Engagement. There has been much written and spoken about the need to keep people engaged at work and how this benefits company performance, writes Roger Dwan of Cube Consulting.
Engagement at work
Engagement is a hot topic. Recently there has been much written and spoken about the need to keep people engaged at work and how this benefits company performance. The tech multinationals are known for their beanbags and pool tables as well as mindfulness classes for improved well-being, however, this isn’t achievable or necessary for most companies. There is another key element of engagement that is more accessible to all companies and teams, regardless of their size and resources. Simply by involving people in the work you can improve engagement levels and see the resulting impact on performance as well as increased retention and better morale.
Most people want to come to work and do a good job which contributes to the company’s success. Rather than designing elaborate engagement schemes sometimes it’s more important to remove the barriers to engagement. Every organisation or team is different so you will need to decide what works best for you and there will be some trial and error required. In this article we look at 3 areas you can start with.
The case for engagement
Before we explore these areas lets look at some of the metrics that are now available which show how successful engagement can be for businesses in the following areas:
Profit – top-quartile companies are twice as profitable when compared to those in the bottom quartile
Revenue – 2.5 times greater
Customer satisfaction – 12% higher
Productivity – 18% higher
Innovation – 59% have creative ideas in their work versus 3% of those less engaged
Employee turnover – reduced by 40% when people are engaged
Estimates vary but on average, about 35-40% are engaged, which means 60-65% are not engaged and of this group, about 20-25% could be actively disengaged which means they are influencing others to work against the company’s interests. This is serious and needs to be addressed immediately. Most companies and teams are in a position to improve in this area and the results can be substantial.
8 Signs your people are not engaged at work
People are not very open in their communications and there is a lot of conversations taking place behind people’s backs
There is a fear of conflict and it is avoided because it generally escalates quickly.
There is a removal of discretionary effort, a work-to-rule mentality sets in with fixed hours or work, etc.
There is a higher turnover rate as those who can leave for other opportunities do so.
People do not make decisions but attempt to pass on responsibility.
There is low morale and people are not engaging with each other socially.
There is a reduction in participation at meetings.
Some employees are actively disengaged and are influencing others to act against the company’s interests.
3 things you can do to get people to improve engagement
#1.Review roles with the individual
How much autonomy do you give people in how they work? Most people want to feel they have control over the work they do, how they do it when they do it etc. Obviously, there are certain parameters surrounding how they work and this will vary from job to job. Most roles that aren’t automated or likely to be automated will have a component of knowledge work.
Cube Tip:
Sit down with the role holder and look at their role. Allow them to make suggestions and review regularly to ensure any changes are working for everyone.
#2. Involve people in the business
Having the right amount of communication is important. You need to decide how much consultation is necessary and how much you need to inform people about company developments. In my experience, many people are interested in the business and how it operates in its sector, and it’s important to treat them as responsible adults who have a stake in its success. If difficult decisions need to be made this should be communicated clearly and honestly and then have some flexibility about how these goals can be reached.
Cube Tip:
Share information on company performance (having consideration for commercially sensitive material). Look for people’s views on how to achieve the company’s goals.
#3. Increase participation in non-core activities
It can be beneficial to add some variety to people’s work. As well as their core role having projects and other activities to work on can increase engagement. These can be work-related projects that suit their interests or strengths or they can be collective endeavors that are necessary such as organising social or team building occasions. It can even include involving people in areas that would traditionally have been viewed as being in the management domain such as input into the recruitment process for new team members or sharing knowledge and skills at a learning event.
Cube Tip:
Find out more about people’s interests and see with them if there is a way of introducing these into their work.
About Cube Consulting
Cube Consulting facilitate positive change & development in organizations, teams, groups & individuals. Roger Dwan is the Founder and principal consultant at Cube Consultants. He has been working in the areas of Human Resources, Conflict Management & Leadership Development since 2002 and brings a wealth of experience.
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