The Enemy of Engagement

Transcription

1 The Enemy of Engagement Put an end to workplace frustration and get the most from your employees October 2012 MARK ROYAL

2 What does employee engagement mean to you? 2

3 How do you picture employee engagement?

4 Employee engagement In our view, engagement is comprised of two components: Commitment: Affective attachment to, and intention to remain with, an organization. Discretionary Effort: The willingness to go above and beyond formal job requirements. 66 percent The average percentage of employees in organizations globally who are engaged 4

5 Engaging employees: Key considerations Help me understand how the organization is positioned for future success. I want opportunities to learn and grow with the organization. I need to trust that leaders are capable of executing on our plans. Value me as a person and recognize my efforts here. I want to be confident that the organization gets it regarding customer needs. Help me see the balance between what I contribute and how I am rewarded. 5

6 But... what is the enemy of engagement? 6

7 The challenge I feel motivated to go the extra mile for the company There are no significant barriers at work to doing my job well 13% 69% 56% Source: Hay Group global normative database Help me help you! Employee motivation is often not matched with a supportive work environment 7

8 The more you want something, theworse you feel when you can t get it. In organizations, it s the highly motivated employees who are most prone to frustration. 8

9 The voice of the frustrated employee Employees are all fired up I ve never worked for a better company I m excited about our future but their motivation is going to waste I can t get things done Everything is urgent Why does everything have to go through 12 people? We tend to manage around performance problems Frustrated employees may represent 20 percent or more of your workforce 9

10 Reactions to frustration at work There are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them ain t good. Similarly, frustrated employees will either: Break through Break down Break free -- Former Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes Frustration is an unstable state, meaning that you have limited time to act 10

11 Your best people always have options High performing employees are most likely to leave And they suffer most when not well supported 11

12 Frustration is a silent killer Organizations often overlook these employees because: They aren t asking them They can t hear them They don t want to know 12

13 Frustration is everywhere The issue spans geographies... Between 28 and 53 percent of employees report work conditions that do not allow them to be as productive as they could be Roughly half of employees in France fall into this group 13

14 Engagement alone is not enough. People must be enabled to channel their motivation into productive effort. When this happens, the benefits are huge. 14

15 What is employee enablement? 15

16 The The frustrated frustrated employees employees plea: plea: Put us in roles that use our Put us in roles that use our skills and abilities and allow skills and abilities and allow us to do what we do best. us to do what we do best. Give us the support we Give us the support we need to be effective. need to be effective. Don t introduce barriers that Don t introduce barriers that will interfere with our ability will interfere with our ability to get things done. And to get things done. And don t dilute our focus and don t dilute our focus and consume our energy with consume our energy with tasks that don t add value. tasks that don t add value. And, finally, get out of our And, finally, get out of our way! way! 16

17 Helping employees work smart as well as hard is key to work-life balance In some roles, enablement trumps engagement Enablement is key to sustaining performance 17

18 When engagement meets enablement, it translates into dollars 4.5x revenue growth versus companies in the bottom quartile on both measures percent better returns on assets, Investment, and equity 54 percent reduction in voluntary staff turnover People 50 percent more likely to outperform expectations 18

19 Helping employees to work well: The usual suspects Help me understand what you want from me. Don t make me struggle through inefficient work processes. Provide me the freedom to make decisions. We need solid working relationship within our team and with other teams. Give me the resources I need to get things done. Make training for me and others a priority. 19

20 The quiz Six chances to win! % of employees indicating that their managers do not effectively communicate goals for their teams % of employees missing the authority needed to do their jobs % of employees worried about staffing levels % of employees reporting that job demands prevent them from taking advantage of training opportunities % of employees struggling with inadequate support from other teams % of employees giving their organizations low marks for being efficiently organized and structured

21 A checklist of enablement strategies Performance Management Authority and empowerment Resources Training Collaboration Work, structure and process One-third of employees don t get clear goals 30% of employees feel they lack the authority to do their job effectively 50+% of employees worry about adequate staffing 50+% of employees feel there is not enough time to take advantage of training opportunities Nearly half of employees feel other teams in the company don t provide high-quality support Nearly half of employees give their organizations low marks for being effectively structured Remember the management in performance management Clarify must-win battles for employees Focus on enablement issues in discussing performance gaps Provide specific freedom to act Be clear about the type of involvement desired Involve employees in rooting out inefficiencies Identify, prioritize, and advocate based on ROI Remember that staffing is about more than headcount Apparent constraints may signal problems in other areas View it as a process rather than an event Promote equity and fairness Make it a priority (despite workloads and cost constraints) Make sure managers wear their enterprise hats Share people as well as information Be sure that rewards reinforce the message Beware of the trap of routines Focus innovative activities and manage the pace of change Identify mechanisms for incorporating new thinking 21

22 It s a familiar cry in challenging times. Do more with less. But if you re not enabled, it just sounds like Mission Impossible. Instead of concentrating exclusively on fostering higher levels of motivation, managers and leaders need to take better advantage of the motivation they already have. 22

23 Questions? 23

24 Contact information For more information, please contact: Mark Royal Hay Group (Chicago) 24