Creating the New Rules of Employee Engagement

Author: David Godden, published: Oct 9, 15

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4 New Rules of Employee Engagement

You hear the hushed talk and whispers as you pass groups of employees in the break room. You see the forced smiles and embarrassed looks as you walk through work areas. Sure, as an HR professional you are used to being in the fringes of employees, walking the fence between what the company wants and what employees want. But, can you see true employee engagement or is this something that only the best companies ever experience? Recent statistics paint a grim picture of employee engagement at work. According to a Gallup Poll study, only around 30 percent of US workers are actively engaged in their work, costing companies somewhere in the neighborhood of $450 to $550 billion in lost productivity and revenues. Truth is, employee engagement never comes easy. It takes a concerted, long-term effort that focuses on 3 critical areas:

Employee productivity
Employee satisfaction
Employee loyalty

How you work through the challenges of active employee engagement campaigns can determine the success or failure of this effort. It’s time to create some new rules.

Rule #1 – Stop fretting over company reviews

Transparency has become the buzzword for the business world. But, too many companies get caught up in worrying over negative company reviews. Keep in mind that employees who are disgruntled tend to vent more than employees who have had a positive experience. The reviews tend to lean towards the negative side.

Rule #2 – Don’t beg employees to be engaged

It’s one thing to expect employees to be engaged; it’s another to convince them that they need to be engaged at work. Never beg employees to respond to your efforts. If engagement will happen, it will be natural and not forced.

Rule #3 – Weed out poor performers

Every organization has at least one or two grumbling employees who make it their mission to break down employee morale and reduce productivity. Do your organization a big favor and get rid of these employees. Instead of begging people to change, evaluate these low performance employees and weed them out to make room for positive employees.

Rule #4 – Recruit the best in class employees

Last, but certainly not least, the key to better employee engagement is to hire candidates who demonstrate active participation in their own career successes. Look for high achievers who are self-driven and engaged with employer objectives. The closer you can align yourself as an employer with their goals, the better they will respond with loyalty and concern for the company’s outcome. Use the above rules in your employee engagement efforts, which should be measurable and based on real-time data.