Putting Employee Engagement into Action

Effective Practices to Increase Employee Engagement

To increase productivity levels, organizations now focus more on the human side of productivity than ever before. In an economy that requires businesses to be agile and adaptable, leaders know that improved technology is not the sole answer to having teams that work better or faster.

Increasing productivity by creating an environment where employees want to give more to the organization and are happy to do so is the desired sate. But how can organizations get employees to give more?
It is often done by treating employees with respect and considering them to be an equal partner in the employment relationship. Employment should be viewed not as an employee privilege but as a business contract that requires a ‘win-win’ outcome. This is accomplished when organizations adopt and execute on the principles of inclusiveness and mutual benefit.

In short, employees can be encouraged to give more to their employers when the organization demonstrates three qualities of engagement: Transparency, responsiveness and partnering.

Transparency refers to a situation where an organization and its leaders are open, honest and forthcoming with information. Responsiveness occurs when an organization and its leaders actively listen to employees, solicit their feedback, and show commitment to taking action in a timely manner. Partnering is where an organization and its leaders recognize that employees are equal partners and investors in the business.

Analysing Engagement Risks & Opportunities

The following is an example of how one of our clients demonstrated engagement with a multigenerational perspective. In this particular case, certain scores within the employee engagement survey were unsatisfactory to senior leadership.

The organization set out to examine key issues in order to identify the root causes of the scores and to analyse whether or not the different generational cohorts held different opinions.

The organization then created a short quantitative survey based upon three key areas that were identified as areas of risk. The organization also held confidential focus groups divided along generational cohorts. We prepared a report detailing strengths and risks – including recommendations for programs and strategies at low, medium and high levels of complexity.

The qualitative and quantitative data that was gathered from these activities reflected a change in the corporate culture. The perception and behaviour change was divided differently along generational lines. Surprisingly, the leadership learned that the older generational cohorts were feeling less recognized than younger generations.

These results allowed for greater focus on key areas of risk and an improvement in employee engagement across all generations through focused activities and solutions that addressed employees’ needs.

Giselle Kovary

As president and co-founder of n-gen People Performance Inc., Giselle is dedicated to building strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage a multigenerational workforce. She is a sought after resource to industry leaders, having worked with 18 of the top Fortune 500 companies. Over 60,000 people globally have experienced an n-gen workshop or presentation. She has devoted more than fifteen years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance. Giselle has co-authored two books: Loyalty Unplugged: How to Get, Keep & Grow All Four Generations and Upgrade Now: 9 Advanced Leadership Skills. She has a Master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Windsor.