Effective Employee Engagement
is about Leadership
I often hear managers and bosses complaining that their staffs are not
customer focus in their daily dealings. Interestingly, I also hear many
employees complaining that they are not happy with their current work
environment. The reasons behind their dissatisfactions at work could be
company policies, unreasonable or uncaring superiors, long working
hours, no recognition for the effort they put in, ... and the list goes
on. Such factors contribute directly to how engaged the employees are
at work.
Unfortunately, many managers do not realise that when their juniors
(and shockingly, even themselves) are not engaged and do not care much
about what is going on at the workplace, service quality of the company
will falls sharply. The truth is, the cost of having
disengaged workforce can be detrimental to a company. Inappropriate
customer service and service recovery can lead to loss of customers. In
long run, loss in company’s profit taking.
As Sir Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin group, once said,
"We’ve
always had a policy of trying to put our staff first. The staff should
come first, the customers second and your shareholders third.
If you
take that approach you’ll find that everyone wins.
Happy staff result in happy customers, lots of happy customers result
in happy shareholders."
Employee engagement researches around the world show that only between
17% and 29% of employees are actively engaged in their job at any one
time. Here's something more alarming. Research done by Gallup from 2001
- 2006 revealed that the number of engaged employees in Singapore is
between 6% - 9%, the one of the lowest ranking among other countries
surveyed. The total cost of having low productive, disengaged employee
cost Singapore economic's performance between $4.9 and 6.7 billion
annually.
Imagine a soccer team with only 1 player who are fully engaged while
the rest of the team are playing half-heartedly. What do you think
would be the chances for the team to win a tournament? No wonder our
Singapore Football National Team could not make it to the World Cup
(punt intended).
Before we talk about how to combat with disengaged employees,
let’s look at the description of an engaged employee.
“An
engaged employee is fully involved in, and enthusiastic
about, his or her work. Engaged employees care about the future of the
company and are willing to invest the discretionary effort exceeding
duties call to see that the organization succeeds.”
Now, I am sure many of the readers would agree that it would be a
wonderful to work in a placewhere everyone in the organisation is
committed to delight the internal and external customers. Every one you
turn to has the "spark" in his / her eyes to give the best to the
organisation. That is what
happen when your team is fully engaged.
Here are my Eight Golden Rules that leaders can follow to engage their
employees whole-heartedly.
- Like external customers,
employees must know that their leaders value them. Always find
opportunities to communicate to the employees that they are recognised
and appreciated for the work they have contributed.
- Have a clear career path for
all employees. Once they know that they can be rewarded for the hard
work they put in, they will be more motivated to go the extra mile.
- Communicate clearly so that
the employees understand their purposes and roles in achieving
organisation's goals.
- Have frequent feedback and
dialogue sessions to understand the employees' problems at work. Most
importantly, listen genuinely to their concerns. Once the leader makes
an agreement, honour it and make it happen.
- Give the employees a sense
of ownership through participation in problem-solving and
decision-making. When employees feel that they are involved they are
more committed in completing their tasks. It will also foster a strong
culture of trust in the organisation.
- Celebrate small wins. For
things that employees done right or well, compliment and congratulate
them. Never wait until major company celebrations to thank the
employees. Very likely, many good deeds will be forgotten.
- Set good examples through
personal conducts and work ethics. Behaviours of the employees are
usually shaped by their leaders through modelling. Thus, if leaders
want their employees to show exemplary service to their customers,
leaders must first provide exemplary service to the employees.
- Occasional after work
cohesion activities like karaoke sessions, game of bowling or soccer
can foster a closer relationship with employees. It is usually through
these informal settings that trust and bonding among the team develop.
Remember, employee engagement is not about the employees. It is about
effective leaders who are committed to steer their teams towards
excellence.
Are your organisation being known for providing good quality service?
Are your staff engaged enough to go the extra miles for the customers?
Finally, are you leading effectively?
