Back in August I published a link to a Gallup poll on employee engagement that had some pretty miserable results. Out of 150,000 workers surveyed, 52% were ‘disengaged’, and 18% were ‘actively disengaged’. Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? What about you? Are you engaged in your work? I heard a CEO recently refer to work as the ‘horrific concession’ we all eventually make, when we concede that the majority of our waking hours will be spent at work. His goal is to make that time as fulfilling as possible for people. The Gallup poll would indicate that he has a big mountain to climb (aside: he seems to be doing it – his company is one of the best to work for by almost all measures).
A friend recently brough to my attention an article in Fast Company by Mark C. Crowley where he takes a closer look at the results. It is worth a read, as he recounts his interview with a Gallup researcher who monitors employee engagement in the US. More recently, also in Fast Company, Ian Clough talks about ways to turn the tide. He gives a few good places to start:
- Make it personal: Leaders need to connect directly, as human beings, in a sincere and motivating way.
- Employees make the difference: Employees have to be involved in planning, delivery, and follow up – they must have a place at the table for engagement to take hold.
- Find an anchor and plant it: Find something that connects people to the very fiber of the organization and make sure they all ‘get it’.
- When going global, don’t go overboard: Be culturally aware, but don’t feel compelled to tweak everything that you do for every country you touch – there is value in consistency in messages and format.
- Measure consistently: Find the things that matter most and measure them periodically.
I would add to measure qualitatively as well as quantiatively, but that of course is my bias as a qualitative researcher. I would also avoid the allure of measuring to much too often, because you will run the risk of squelching engagement by over-monitoring.
Both articles are worth a read, have a look and see for yourself.