A hot topic in organisations is employee engagement.
What does it mean and how can you achieve it? Is it worth the effort?
You bet!
I once overheard an employee say “my care factor is zero.” My heart sank. I had been working with the management of the organisation to improve culture and we decided to consult with employees at all levels.
I asked a group how they felt about their workplace and this is when I first heard those fateful words. They gave me an insight into what we were up against. Some of the employees didn’t care about their organisation.
Put simply, they were disengaged.
The global guru of measuring employee engagement is the US based consulting firm, Gallup. Every couple of years they release a report called State of the Global Workplace. It is based on a robust, worldwide survey of employees to gauge just how much employees care. In their last report they found that only 14 per cent of Australian workers are engaged. That is, motivated, enthusiastic and happy about their work. At the other end of the spectrum, 15 per cent of workers are actively disengaged. That leaves a whopping 71 per cent that are not engaged.
Gallup go on to investigate the difference between the performance of organisations where engagement is high, compared with where employees don’t care as much. They present compelling evidence that where engagement if high, organisations are more profitable, more productive, produce better quality, are safer and grow faster.
I’ve developed an approach that aims to overcome care factor zero, and I call it Care Factor 100, where 100 per cent of your people are 100 per cent engaged. There are five straightforward principles.
1. Make your expectations of people crystal clear. Let people know exactly what you expect from them and what you will hold them responsible for.
2. Give regular and honest feedback on your people’s performance, based on your expressed expectations.
3. Share your organisation’s vision, strategic priorities and action plans with your people. Involve them in setting the direction.
4. Provide people with opportunities to grow and develop. Encourage them to be their best.
5. Create an environment where people feel like they belong. We all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
Leaders determine culture and culture determines results. As leaders we need to strive to engage our people and improve our culture.
By implementing these five simple, straightforward principles you can begin to increase the care factor in your organisation and if you keep at it you will enjoy the significant benefits that come with high engagement.
