What Makes Employees “Highly Engaged”?
I’ve written before
on this and since then have been wondering if I could add to what I said. The premise is that “engaged” employees are
“happy” (and therefore productive) employees, but how do we get that engagement
and maintain it?
Some people are naturally “good” at engaging (or “getting
people on board”). Others don’t seem to
know where to start (myself included, a lot of the time).
I ran across a very useful infographic posted by Jim Bishop
of Eli Lilly and Company recently. The
graphic defines 12 characteristics of highly engaged vs low/not engaged not
engaged employees and summarises them below.
In short, these definitions show the proportion of employees in an
organisation who feel highly engaged.
Generally, they tend to feel that:
Someone has talked about their progress (92%)
Someone encourages their development (97%)
They have been praised recently (88%)
They have opportunities to learn and grow (98%)
They have a “best friend” at work (74%)
Their manager cares about them (98%)
They view their job as important to the company (98%)
Their opinions count at work (91%)
Their colleagues are committed to quality work (93%)
They are able to do their best every day (99%)
They have equipment needed to do their job (98%)
They know what is expected of them at work (99%)
For low/no engagement employees, the following holds:
Someone has talked about their progress (13%)
Someone encourages their development (10%)
They have been praised recently (13%)
They have opportunities to learn and grow (13%)
They have a “best friend” at work (19%)
Their manager cares about them (20%)
They view their job as important to the company (22%)
Their opinions count at work (19%)
Their colleagues are committed to quality work (44%)
They are able to do their best every day (53%)
They have equipment needed to do their job (70%)
They know what is expected of them at work (89%)
If we look at Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”, the lowest scores occur in the
“Self-Actualisation” (personal growth and
fulfilment) and “Esteem” (achievement, status, responsibility, reputation) area.
In other words, if someone feels they’re “going nowhere” and that
they’re unappreciated, they’re unlikely to be engaged (no matter how much
they're paid).
This can be a problem in small businesses with few
opportunities for advancement, but one way round would be to give the person
more responsibility if we feel they can handle it. After all, if this frees us up to build the
business (or fight fewer “fires”), then it’s worth it. If they can get a small pay rise out of it,
even better (although there may be a limit to how much more they can be paid).
One interesting anomaly is that, even if over 50%
(i.e. a majority) feel they can do their best every day, they still may not be
engaged. Closely linked at 44% is people
feeling that their colleagues are committed to quality work, suggesting that if
you feel your colleagues aren't pulling their weight, it may disengage you…
In my previous article, I suggested “treat them as
humans” to get people engaged. From
this, opportunities for advancement and praise are key. Money
helps, but only to an extent as humans move up the hierarchy from base physical
needs to the more “spiritual”. The only
thing that may keep them from rushing to the door is if the economy is doing
badly and there are no jobs to be had, meaning that the two most basic needs
(biological and safety) are met until things improve.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Strategy, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:39
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