Sep 25

Employee Engagement – The Dirty Secret Everyone Knows But Few Are Making Efforts To Solve

Each year I see companies spend thousands of dollars on employee engagement surveys, and I watch managers hold their breath waiting for the results only to realize their employees are like the majority of the working population – DISENGAGED.

According to Gallup, 67% of employees worldwide are disengaged, and 51% are actively looking for a new position, and yet, the quit rate—the term used for employees leaving a position on their own—is 2.3%.  Sadly, less than 3% of employees are leaving their position which means over 60% of your disengaged employees are showing up, day-after-day, doing the bare minimum. This level of detachment spreads seeds of dissatisfaction to all levels of your organization, reduces productivity, impacts morale, and creates an unhealthy—and unhappy—work environment.

The good news is you have more control over the disengagement issue than you realize. It starts with how you hire. If you’re like most, your hiring practices focus solely on a candidates’ skills, but if you think back, the people who don’t fit are fired based on their attitude. You can teach skills, but you can’t teach attitude. It’s time to consider a different approach.

First, hire to your culture.  The truth is, every company has a culture—even if  you have never taken the time to identify it.  NOW is the time define it.  What is the value you bring to your customer? How do your employees help provide that value?  What are the top characteristics needed from an employee to provide that value?  How do you have to show up to attract the type of employee that brings your clients the highest value?  Many CEOs and business owners forget you must be in alignment with your own definition of culture before you can attract other people to it. For example, I worked with a company with a strong written set of core values that placed the emphasis on open and transparent communications, and yet the CEO would yell at (and shame) any employee who brought up a problem in staff meetings. Employees were walking on eggshells and were afraid to say anything.  While their written culture was one of transparency, the unspoken culture created by the CEO was of fear, and then he wondered why they weren’t bringing in bigger clients and helping to build the business.

Now that you have looked at your organization from the inside out, it’s time to consider how you hire your employees to fit your culture.  Again, if you are like most, you hire with a “one-size-fits-all” approach and it’s not working. By hiring to a strong culture first, then looking at the individual behaviors of your team, you can fill in the “holes” where you have missing traits. Hiring influenced by behavioral understanding is key to engagement.  For example, if you’re a very strong analytic personality, you may be tempted to hire more people who think like you. But companies need behaviors from every spectrum (direct, creative, personable, and steady to name a few) to fit different roles in the organization.  Behavioral imbalance creates tunnel thinking and prevent growth.  After finding a cultural fit, focus on the behaviors needed for the job and be receptive to the benefit different behavioral qualities can bring to your organization.

And finally, the average employee spends 70% of their waking hours at work. Most people need to know their “work” has meaning and purpose. No matter how basic the position—from receptionist, file clerk, or janitor—valuing the contributions of each person not only reinforces your culture but it builds your brand.  Your employees are your greatest brand ambassadors because they give your most powerful reviews to their family, their friends and even strangers.  Take the time to celebrate success by saying “thank you” for a job well done – it can be something as simple as a thank you card or catering lunch or as big as extra time off or a bonus. Gratitude goes a long way.

By focusing on your culture, hiring right and showing your employees you’re grateful for them, you will have happier, more engaged employees. This will lead to increased productivity, an improved bottom line…and a company people want to work for.

Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.