Retain Top Talent

Counter-Intuitive article about employee engagement. Author claims current tactics have not moved the needle on employee engagement. I think the author is out of touch. For companies that have implemented effective employee engagement programs, they have moved the needle dramatically on NPS, engagement scores, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, turnover, and retention.

The problem is that so few companies have implemented effective programs, the needle appears in aggregate not to move very much.

The tactics of employee engagement are very basic, yet most companies don't want to make the effort. Simple things like listening, coaching, autonomy, praise, recognition, development, training, challenges - all basic fundamental work motivations -- and most companies are failing miserably at execution,

It's not the tactics that are wrong, it's the issue of poor execution on change management.

What if this was a trait we looked for in interviews - enthusiasm, energy, positive, friendly, helpful. Do we measure it, score it, role play for it, and seek to understand when we are doing references.

The attitude of these folks is contagious. They are the epitome of Gallup's definition of an engaged employee.

Just imagine what would happen if you added a few more of these folks to your team.

The big question I've got is why your hiring process is not focused around finding, attracting, and recruiting these magical employees?

I like the idea proposed by the article on linking performance management and engagement. There is no question performance goes up as engagement goes up. Although the article cites the HBR on this subject, and makes a number of key points, it lacks specific recommendations on how to link them together.

Wondering why your top sales folks have 2-3 offers sitting on the table, and why your competitors feel so confident that they can attract your most successful reps - this article dives into the issues that could mean the difference between keeping the Pareto group and being stuck with a team of average people.

Great teams bond together through activities that encourage overcoming shared pain and fears and learning about each other. It doesn't happen naturally in the course of sitting in closed-off cubicles. You have to force it to occur by putting employees in situations where they must work together intimately as a team, learn to "get each other's back", and rely on each other. All l high performing teams use team-building exercises to improve the way they work together. Have you considered the results you could get if your team was hi-performing?

What a great story that reflects praise, gratitude, appreciation, and recognition. A letter to the parents. Duh! Why haven't I thought of that as a tactic around motivation? How many of you have written a note to an employee's parents?

I am a huge proponent of inclusiveness - whether it be in a community non-profit, religious institution, or work setting.

Have you done an assessment, survey, self-reflection on whether your work environment or culture is inclusive? It doesn't happen naturally - as the author indicates you have to be purposeful.

For those in the younger generational categories, working in an inclusive culture is important.

When was the last time you tried to measure employee engagement? Are you behind your competitors? Have you tried to calculate the cost of low employee engagement?

There are some very simple fixes. This article mentions a few fixes that mostly focus on thinking about employees differently. How to care, nurture, and develop them. Why do most companies still treat employees like they did in the 1980s and 1990s?

What's holding you back on creating an outstanding work culture?

Interesting list of behaviors centered around initiative, proactivity, an self-motivation. In what ways does this number one trait of success get exhibited? How can you recognize and reward it?

Great example of a company going far beyond the typical on-boarding process. How do you make your on-boarding process "special" and unique - so that your new employees RAVE about it??

An interesting article published on HBR from Glassdoor data about employee happiness/engagement/satisfaction compared to customer satisfaction.

Although this point has been proven in numerous studies already, it reinforces this basic link between the two.

What are you doing to raise your employee engagement to drive the best customer satisfaction among your competitors?

I spend a lot of time teaching my clients how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is still relevant for success around retention, engagement, and employee motivation.

This article is an interesting adaptation in the IT world for Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Have you considered applying the lessons from Maslow in your own organization, and perhaps creating your own pyramid - perhaps with a focus on the foundation level?

This article comes at the idea of employee engagement a little differently than most articles - it tackles the idea of creating a sense of purpose - both at the ME and WE levels.

Interesting statistic on how purpose-driven organizations outperform their non-purpose driven competitors.

Would your employees say that you are a purpose-driven organization?

I'm a huge fan of metrics and KPIs. I liked this article's focus around HR/retention/engagement KPIs. What do you measure? Are you holding your managers accountable for making great hiring decisions and sustaining/retaining high performing teams?

Interesting perspective on empathy in the organization as being a key element of employee engagement. the striking statistic to me was the gap between the CEOs perception of being an empathetic organization and employee perception.

Interesting perspective on the issue of loyalty by the younger generations. Are you seeing these issues pop up in your organization?

Interesting article distinguishing between recognition and appreciation. Most companies have some form of minimal recognition initiatives, yet very few focus on the element of appreciation. Is your lack of appreciation and gratitude undermining your employee engagement and ability to retain to top performers?

I've been recommending this idea for over a decade now. Let's kill the traditional sadistic exercise of annual performance reviews and move to Continuous Peformance Management of monthly one-to-ones and regular feedback. Not only will see performance soar, but you'll also see motivation and employee engagement explode.

Do you agree these are some of the most important criteria for a good boss? Are there any others you might add to the list?

Are you stuck in old school feedback?

Your Managers who are not well trained in how to provide on-going positive feedback?

A performance review process that is once a year?

Employees who are not getting enough feedback to become engaged?

Although the article is focused on the restaurant industry, they are a lot of good lessons for all segments. I really liked the author's ability to separate employee happiness from employee engagement. Just because they are happy at work, doesn't mean they are engaged.

Another reminder that 70% of your workforce is disengaged. Small incremental differences of improving that metric can have a significant impact on organizational success and customer satisfaction.

If we all accept this statement as a given truth through all the studies and research - why then do so few companies work on engaging their employees?

Counter-intuitive perspective on financial rewards and motivation. What works best in your organization?

Usually, I'm posting positive articles with tips, tactics, and recommendations. This article takes a different approach by looking at why recognition programs fail. One interesting learning element for me was that recognition is not frequent enough.

Yesterday I published an article on the importance of creating a purpose-driven organization. On the heels of that article, this one pops up on Forbes about giving your employees a "cause" for being part of your organization.

The SEALs get it, Starbucks gets it. Do your Employees understand the purpose and cause behind your organization?  IF NOT, are you at risk of losing good people when they hear this message from your competitors as the job market shifts from advertising to poaching.