Closing the Discretionary Effort Gap The Business Case for Employee Engagement Through Performance Management San Antonio Human Resource Management Association 2015 Symposium Adrian B. Guardia PhD, SPHR Irene Waggoner PhD Texas A&M University-San Antonio
The Discretionary Effort Gap: How do we define the discretionary effort? What do we know about employee engagement? How do we measure employee engagement? How well has employee engagement faired? What must we do to close the discretionary effort gap? Employee Engagement Discretionary Effort 2
Discretionary Effort Discretionary Effort: an employee s willingness to go above minimal job responsibilities (Lloyd 2008). Source: Shucka, B., Reio Jr, T.G. & Rocco, T.S., 2011 3
The Engagement Gap -- 20:50:30 4
70% of American Workers are Not Engaged or Actively Disengaged 1 Engaged employees work with passion & feel a profound connection to their company & move the organization forward. 30% Engagement Categories 2 Not Engaged employees are essentially checked-out. They re sleepwalking through their workday, putting time but not energy or passion into their work. 50% 3 Actively Disengaged employees are just unhappy at work; they re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish. 20% 5
Where can we find the most Employee Engagement? 6
Why Should Employee Engagement Matter? Because Engagement makes a difference to the bottom line! Higher productivity Higher profitability Higher customer ratings Less turnover Less absenteeism Fewer safety incidents 7
Different Types of Workers -- Different Engagement Strategies Education Gender 8
Different Types of Workers -- Different Engagement Strategies (con t) Length of Service Generational 9
Different Types of Workers -- Different Engagement Strategies (con t) Occupational Engagement 10
Four Stages of Employee Emotional Engagement Stage 1: Primary Needs Stage 3: Do I Belong? Stage 2: Individual contributions & how others view & value their efforts Stage 4: Employee Improvement Learning Growth Innovation New ideas 11
Improving Employee Engagement Use the right engagement survey. Emotional engagement ties directly to discretionary effort their willingness to go the extra mile for the company. Focus on engagement at the enterprise level & local levels. Select the right managers. Coach managers & hold them accountable for their employee s engagement. Define engagement goals in realistic everyday terms. Find ways to connect with each employee. 12
Ways to Accelerate Employee Engagement Select the right people There must be no discretionary or untapped effort by the organization when it comes to recruiting, hiring, and retention. Develop employee strengths Sustained high levels of effort require training, retraining and training again to keep skills sharp. Supply equipment, tools, and resources to support excellence. Enhance employee s well-being Demand optimal effort and performance. Be willing to share the rewards. Honor and encourage principles of work-life balance. Intense effort demands intense rest. 13
Engagement Formula Employee Skills Employee Motivation Supervisor Engagement Employee Engagement Questions? 14
References The State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for U.S. Business Leaders, Gallup, http://www.michaeljbeck.com/documents/state%20of%20the%20american%20workplace%20report%202013.pdf Employee engagement: an examination of antecedent and outcome Variables, Shucka, B., Reio Jr, T.G., & Rocco, T.S.,Human Resource Development International, Vol. 14, No. 4, September 2011, 427 445 15