Employee Engagement: Tapping Into your Company’s Most Valuable Asset

☝ I have been hearing a lot of talk about employee engagement. As I read articles and talk to companies, I believe there is a misunderstanding about what it means to have engaged employees. Companies are trying to create a different workspace, changing the physical environment by providing an esthetically pleasing area to work. Some companies believe they can buy their employee’s engagement by offering additional money or extra benefits. Although a pleasing workspace and additional money and benefits are always welcome, they do not flip the switch of engaging employees.

 What does engagement mean? According to Webster, engagement is a “state of emotional involvement”. Employee engagement, according to Wikipedia, is a product of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests. An engaged employee has a positive attitude towards the organization and its values. When you are an engaged employee, your work focus moves from your mind to your heart. When you engage an employee, you ignite their passion. Nothing is more powerful than a passionate warrior.

 It's not about the pleasing benefits you throw at your employees; it’s about having a relationship and emotional connection. Emotional relationships are formed when barriers between management and employee are torn down, removing the idea of “us versus them”. There are several proactive factors that create an environment of engagement.

Employee's personal perception

Positive perceptions that individuals hold of their own personal strength and ability is a key factor for engagement. If an employee feels inadequate in their abilities to do their job, they will withdraw, becoming invisible. Instead of giving it their all, they simply put in their time and go home.

 Fortunately, this is something that can easily be fixed with an engaged supervisor. When you see an employee who is struggling, identify the problems or weakness and provide additional training or continuing education.

 It is hard to fit a square peg into a round hole. Offering a different position that is more suited to the employee’s strengths can provide huge benefits to both the company and employee. This situation must be handled with care and good intentions. This can easily cause bruised egos and hurt feelings. In order to create a win-win for everyone, there must not be any feelings of punishment or demotion.

Employee perceptions of job importance

An employee's attitude toward the job's importance has a great impact on the relationship they have with the company. Everyone wants to feel important and their efforts are appreciated. If an employee feels insignificant and that their work has little value on the overall success of the company, they feel separated from the team.

 Again, this is an easy fix, starting from the top and working down. A simple word of appreciation and a “pat on the back” goes further than any other incentive you can offer your employees. Everyone in an organization from the mailroom to the top office is important to the success of any organization. Companies are like machines with cogs rotating together in harmony. If a single cog goes out, the entire machine breaks down. Same with a company. The reason a position is created is because there was a need. A company needs a receptionist to greet guests and organize the flow of people into the building. You need building maintenance and housekeeping to assure things are clean and well maintained. You need warehouse workers to insure a smooth flow of products into and out of the organization. You need sales professionals, because without them, you would not have a business. If just one of these positions breaks down, chaos would run through the entire organization. Everyone is important to the success of the company. Make sure you let your employees know they are important and recognize them.

 When I think of job importance, Herb Kelleher, founder and CEO Southwest Airlines comes to mind. Herb was famous for walking around the company. You never knew when he would show up at the ticket counter to help customers alongside the ticket agents. Herb frequently showed up to help baggage handling move bags on and off the planes. Herb was beloved because he took an interest in his valued employees. He not only worked alongside them but, more importantly, he listened to them. Herb understood the importance of making every member of the Southwest team feel important. 

 Employee role clarity

If expectations are not clear, frustration and resentment will result, and the employee will become focused on surviving more than thinking about how they can help the organization succeed. Employees cannot be held accountable unless they have a clear understanding of their job and the company processes needed to perform the job and the expected results. 

 A stressful and unhappy professional life centers on being unsure that you are doing what is expected. When there are insecurities about job performance because of the uncertainty of duties, people shut down and begin a predictable, self-destructing cycle: poor performance leads to poor communication; which leads to paranoia; which leads to bad attitude; which leads to a higher level of poor performance. 

 An error managers often make, is the assumption that everyone is on the same page and has a clear understanding of their role. This is a challenge for even the most senior managers. Strong and continuous communication is crucial for success when dealing with job expectations. A “pat on the back” of recognition for a job well done reinforces positive performance. Feedback, training and mentorship can gently instill needed adjustments in job duties. Ongoing communications is the key to developing a high-performance team.

 Most people rise to the level of expectations. When a job is clearly defined, communicated and reinforced with accountability, people will thrive and, in most cases, exceed expectations.

Career advancement/improvement opportunities

Everyone aspires to advance in their career for a multitude of reasons including titles, respect, power, fame and fortune. No matter your aspirations, everyone hopes to improve their current financial position. We are all striving for financial security.

 For employee engagement, there needs to be a carrot to chase or something to shoot for. Clear career paths and career plans should be created for every employee in your organization. Supervisors should meet with new employees and develop a customized career path and plan, based on an individual’s current and future skills, as well as their expectations and commitment to their own success.

 Careers are a result of ambition and priorities. Career paths and plans should be dynamic by nature and should be adjusted as employees moves along in their careers. Once the career path is defined and a career plan is developed, progress can be monitored during quarterly or annual reviews.

 By having a written career path and defined career plan, employees know what is needed to keep their career moving forward. Career paths will motivate everyone in the organization to push harder and achieve more.

 Not to be overlooked is the psychological effect career planning has on individuals. By developing a career path and plan, employees will feel valued and appreciated. The fear of the unknown is diminished, and future success can be visualized.

 Shell Oil, (Houston, Texas) has managers that help guide careers of their team, along with many tools for self-improvement on personal and professional levels. Employees are encouraged to participate in townhall meetings. In addition, they keep their employees up to date on business results and goals.

Southwest Airlines (Dallas, Texas) built a 492,000 square-foot, $120 million Training and Operational Support facility, devoted to the continuing education of their employees, Southwest Airlines University or SWAU for short. SWAU provides opportunities to learn and grow throughout their career. Southwest Airlines has a less than 2% voluntary turnover rate.

Regular feedback and dialogue with superiors

Feedback is the key to giving employees a sense of where they are going. Managers are not trained at giving positive and constructive feedback. Some managers don’t have the confidence to provide feedback and others have not learned the art of diplomacy of providing feedback that is not taken as a personal criticism. Criticism is always received as a personal attack and blow to the ego.

 There is an art to providing constructive/negative feedback that will communicate the need for change without damaging self-esteem while encouraging ownership of the situation. Some believe that being direct and upfront is the best course of action, while others dance around the issue. Both instances are unwise techniques to handle negative or constructive feedback.

 Because there are many ways to look at a situation, process, procedure or problem, a wise manager will guide their team member to different ways, thoughts or ideas. Looking at something from a different perspective could cause an automatic change in behavior from your team member. It is important to realize that as a manager, you have more experience. Not only do you know more, you have knowledge of a bigger picture that your employee is not privy to. For these reasons, you can provide a better perspective for the employee and solid reasons for the needed change.

 A simple and easy technique to offer alternative views is to say: “Have you considered looking at the situation this way?”. This allows you to introduce the needed correction without the confrontation of a perceived personal attack.

 When handling constructive feedback with a positive attitude, employees feel like they have supporters rather than supervisors. Employees that feel their supervisors support them are 67% more engaged.

 Quality of working relationships with superiors

The most important relationship in business is the relationship between boss and employee. We have all heard, “happy wife, happy life”. The relationship you have with your spouse is the most important personal relationship you can have. In business the saying should be “happy employee, happy success”. A huge key for happy employees is a positive relationship with the boss. Because of the professional hierarchy of a company, the boss is responsible for positive relationships within the company. Managers should be proactive with their employees in developing strong, positive relationships.

 Unfortunately, building relationships is not easy. Relationships take time and effort. There are several easy tips to build and strengthen relationships.

 Communications: Strong, constant and consistent communication is important to building trust, the foundation of all relationship. Communication:

•  Reveals expectations
• Conveys positive reinforcements
• Expresses gratitude.
• Educates
• Removes ambiguity
• Allows understanding
• Commands respect
• Honesty and Transparency. Without honesty, there can be no trust. Without trust, there can not be a positive relationship.
• Transparency is vital to a strong relationship. As a manager, you are kidding yourself if you believe your employees cannot sense changes or you can keep something from your them. Someone always finds out and tells other people. 
• The most dangerous situation is when employees know a partial truth. With a small part of the truth, employees will assume the worst and convince themselves that the sky is falling. Very seldom is the truth as bad as the perception of a partial truth.

Have an attitude of servitude. As a manager, you are a support to your employees. Your job is to make sure employees have what is needed for them to be successful. If you strive to serve your employees, you will command respect, loyalty and trust.

No one cares how much you know, until they know about how much you care. Take a genuine interest in the lives of your employees. Get to know them and their family. Find out about their interests and hobbies. Help them in their career path and planning.

Treat your employees as you would like to be treated by your boss. Be patient, kind, understanding and forgiving.

 If employees' relationships with their managers are fractured, then nothing will persuade the employees to perform at top levels. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees perceive their relationship with the boss.

Perceptions of the philosophy and values of the organization

An organization’s inspirations and values are the bases for company culture. Many times, corporate values are expressed in an organization’s mission or vision statement. Companies outline what the company aspires to be and how they are going to achieve their aspirations in a mission statement. A vision statement is a detailed, but brief, glimpse of where the company will be in the future. In addition, companies might have a values statement that outlines principles and issues that are important to the company.

 It is important that management from the top down embody the concepts and ideas outlined in the mission, vision and value statements. If management does not walk the talk and represent the company’s philosophy, the values and ideals, the various statements are merely words and have no meaning.

  An example of management disregarding their expressed high standards is Wells Fargo. Their vision was “We want to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.”, with the following values:

·       “What’s right for customers.

o  We place customers at the center of everything we do. We want to exceed customer expectations and build relationships that last a lifetime.

·       People as a competitive advantage.

o  We strive to attract, develop, motivate, and retain the best team members — and collaborate across businesses and functions to serve customers.

·       Ethics.

o  We’re committed to the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and principled performance. We do the right thing, in the right way, and hold ourselves accountable.”

 Carrie Tolstedt, head of Wells Fargo’s Community Bank, created a model for sales performance with unreasonably high sales goals that could not be achieved. Tolstedt escalated pressure to perform where bankers, branch managers and district managers received pay cuts if they did not hit goals.

 Whenever a colleague raised concerns about the high targets, Tolstedt ignored them. She didn’t accept any criticism of her and the bank’s toxic culture. Tolstedt’s leadership gave an impression that sales were the only way one could succeed. 

 Because pressure was pushed down from the top, Wells Fargo’s culture tumbled. Instead of adhering to high standards, employees were encouraged/forced to employ unethical practices.

 After more than 10 years, in 2016, Wells Fargo confessed to creating 3.5 million fake accounts in their customers’ names, for credit cards and other banking services. The fraudulent activities ruined the lives of millions of people who suffered foreclosures, bankruptcies, payment of unknown fees, lower credit scores and lost employment.

 Because Wells Fargo’s management did not embrace the high values and philosophy of the company, employee engagement was nonexistent with a 42% turnover rate.

 On the other hand, if management reflect the standards and principles of the organization, it results in the mission, vision and value statements coming to life and becoming infused into the culture.

Chick-Fil-A founder, S. Truett Cathy stated, “We should be about more than just selling chicken. We should be a part of our customers’ lives and the communities in which we serve.”  

 Chick-Fil-A’s mission statement is simple and impactful: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

 Because everyone within the Chick-Fil- A organization enthusiastically walks the talk of high standards, they have become one of the fastest growing fast food chains in the county with over $10.7 billion of food sales last year, with average sales per store of $4.4 million, 4 times higher than their competitor KFC. Chick-Fil-A is the 8th largest fast food chain. With other fast food operations working seven days a week, Chick-Fil-A is dominating the market, closing on Sundays, working only 6 days a week.

 With an employee turnover rate of half of fast food industry standards, Chick-Fil-A is the embodiment of their values and is on display in every employee.

 Employee engagement is a fundamental shift of professional motivation by tapping into the emotional ownership of a job. Nothing is more powerful than an emotional, passionate employee who takes personal responsibility for their company’s success. Employee engagement is the secret to flipping the switch to ignite an employee’s superpowers. 

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