With many businesses starting to get back to a degree of normality post Covid, ensuring that your employees are appreciated, valued and motivated is critical, as they are likely to be under more stress than previously, as they cope with your new work protocols. Conventional wisdom says that managers are the primary drivers of employee engagement. And while managers no doubt play a role in the “engagement equation,” placing significant weight on the manager may not fully capture all of the complexities of today’s workplace. Indeed, it has been proven that feedback from colleagues is more motivational, and as peers see each other most of the time it is easier for them to give feedback when they see great work, so engagement can be driven top down and bottom up. Employees globally are less confident in their immediate managers, especially in their ability to create excitement about the future of the organisation, and to give positive feedback. This is not a big surprise. Organisations large and small are increasingly in a state of near-constant change, especially this year with Covid, trying to adapt to an increasingly volatile business environment. Employees may not know what the future holds for their organisation or their role. In most cases, managers bear the brunt of most of the anxiety employees experience about change. When you consider that half of employees globally feel that change initiatives are not well managed, it’s easy to see how more broad perceptions of the leaders managing the change would drop. This drop in perceptions of leaders is an important trend in itself. There has also been a decrease in confidence in HR Managers, as many employees feel that these managers are not doing enough to encourage positive feedback, and often have no budgets for implementing programs to recognise great performance. However, this is highlighted even more by the fact that Senior Leadership was one of the top drivers of employee engagement in an AON Hewitt report which also included the following: 1. Rewards & Recognition 2. Employee Value Proposition 3. Senior Leadership 4. Career Development 5. Enabling Infrastructure As we see, Senior Leadership is listed third on the list of drivers, but direct managers didn’t even make the top 51! This suggests that Senior Leaders need to take on a more active and involved role in order to engage their employees. But this raises an important question: What might have caused Senior Leadership to become a more important driver of employee engagement? The way we see it, there are three major reasons: 1. Senior Leaders have more discretion over many of the other key drivers in 2020 and going forward compared to the direct manager. Rewards, pay and infrastructure are all largely driven by Senior Leadership. Managers can play a role, for instance by clarifying how pay is calculated, but larger discretion on actually changing these facets of the work environment fall on Senior Leadership. 2. When we compare our global averages to those in the top quartile, we see massive gaps on Senior Leadership items – and, in fact, these gaps are twice as large as for the Direct Manager items. What does this mean? Top companies really differentiate on perceptions of Senior Leadership, particularly on creating excitement for the future, more than they do on perceptions of the Direct Manager. 3. Based on Aon’s research into Managing Engagement in Times of Change, we know that Senior Leaders play an increased role in engagement during times of change. Although the research focused on more transformational changes (such as M & A), it stands to reason that the same holds true with the more incremental change that characterise many organisations. This is a vital point since there are so many external forces that are pressuring organisations today. Two of the most important external forces are rapid technology advancement and populist sentiment within the geopolitical environment. In reality, the increased importance of Senior Leadership in driving engagement is likely due to a combination of several if not all of the above reasons. Regardless, this leaves us with an important question: what can business leaders do about it? There is a clear need for businesses to have an engagement strategy in place and a mechanism to drive this, and there are products on the market that will do so, driving instant recognition and feedback, while lowering administrative overheads, and at the same time delivering consistency and transparency across the organisation. The use of technology can add significant value to your engagement strategy. By driving positive employee engagement, you will helping to build passion, loyalty, continuity and growth. This should be viewed as a long-term goal – to build a good employee experience for the whole journey they have with your business, but it is worth it, as it will reduce staff turnover, improve productivity and customer experience which all impact your bottom line. Engaging employees is a great approach but this needs to be underpinned with a clear and tailored strategy and framework for employee engagement that reflects your values and vision. To learn how we can help you to engage your employees, call Brownie Points today on +61 (0)3 9909 7411 or email us at info@browniepoint.com.au
Although the article was a summary of Aon's research and was a little too generic for me - there was an interesting point I wanted to share from this article that mentioned over half of employees feel change initiatives were not well managed. Why - what is it about change, action plans, new initiatives that turn off most employees - there's something deeper here than just the issue of fear of change.
My experience and research into change management shows that over 80 percent of all initiatives fail to achieve their desired outcomes - including hiring, employee engagement, investments, acquisitions, IT systems, and change initiatives. Most of the time the actions are good strategic initiatives but fail miserably because we don't manage the employees who are implementing it and working on it. How can we do better?
Hiring top talent is only the start. Now you have to work hard to keep your very best talent. Most companies stink at structured and systematic retention of their top performers. Discover how to prevent turnover and keep your best people.
Southwest Airlines, Patagonia, and Zappos—all recognized for their highly engaged culture—prove that culture doesn’t have to become a casualty of growth.
Another good article on creating a compelling culture that drives 100 percent effort from the majority of your employees.
The Fast Company article talks about a path to get there through 3 key legs of the stool. Are you focused on doing work around elements like vision and purpose? Why should I work for you? Most of your high performers will give 100 percent effort because they are turned on by the vision and understanding the way - the purpose of the firm.
Every infection that hits our bodies and is repelled or fixed by our immune system makes us stronger. This same concept works with your company's immune system as well.
Interesting perspective on using PIPs to reinforce compliance and set consequences for violating company values and culture. How do you keep employees within the guide rails of your values and culture?
Spread the love“`html As more organizations shift to remote work, understanding how to cultivate a strong remote company culture becomes crucial. A positive company culture impacts employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates.
Many of my clients are embracing remote/hybrid work schedules. Keeping a strong company culture is critical to success but hard to keep when people are divorced from the mothership. Good article on some of the key points to consider. When trying to improve the culture, it's important to be very intentional in culture and values - especially given that 90 percent of traditional informal conversation in the office just disappeared.
Discover the leadership strategies that improve employee retention in 2026. Learn how communication, recognition, growth opportunities, and workplace trust help organizations keep top talent.
Employee retention is an organization's ability to keep its current employees and reduce unwanted attrition. Here are 10 strategies that actually work.
The world of work has changed more in five years than the previous 50. Discover 69 employee experience statistics that reveal the impact of these changes.
Margins seem to be getting tighter every year. Customers expect more, complain faster, and switch providers without blinking.In service-based businesses, the...
Culture eats everything - process, strategy, tactics. If you have a great culture - it's easy to attract top talent, management is simple because of the level of discretionary effort shown by employees - initiative, proactivity, self-motivation - and for every percentage improvement around employee engagement with your culture - it has a dramatic impact on customers. 1000s of studies have proven this to be true.
So why do I find through my Talent by Design by Practice that most employees indicate their true company culture is either negative or missing - there is no real culture - it's more of an extension of the negative behaviors of the CEO.
Small investments in making your culture a living - breathing - evolving element of your company - can have a significant impact on talent and customer acquisition and retention. Why do you most companies treat culture like it's after-thought and might happen magically?
Explore current employee engagement trends to foster a motivated and productive workforce. Get the insights you need to drive success in your organization.
In the modern hybrid workplace, successful entrepreneurial leaders must prioritize empathy and intentional strategies to build diverse teams and foster genuine connection, ensuring that flexibility does not lead to employee isolation but instead strengthens company culture.
Braden Kelley is a popular innovation keynote speaker creating workshops, masterclasses, webinars, tools, and training for organizations on innovation, design thinking and change management.
All my clients are struggling to improve employee motivation and engagement. Gallup has shown that 50-70 percent of your workforce is disengaged - giving you the rock bottom minimum effort by which they hope you continue to give them a payroll check.
It's a crying shame that most companies experience the vast majority of their workforce not providing 100 percent of effort. In fact, only a small percentage are giving you 100 percent effort.
How do we improve this engagement from around 30 percent into the 75/80 percent range? Two of the key things discussed in this article is communication and feedback - which are two of the greatest frustrations employees - especially younger employees - have with their employer.
How do you execute on communication and feedback: monthly and quarterly one-to-ones, town hall quarterly meetings, suggestion boxes, career discussions, clear vision discussions, structured processes in performance management to collect and give feedback, 360 degree feedback, engagement surveys - 100s of ideas.
Most companies are barely scratching the surface. Not having a systematic process for engagement and retention is a recipe for disaster - low engagement, weak customer retention, turnover, low performance metrics/KPIs.
When will you start to create a process for retention and engagement?
Key takeaway from this article "The takeaway is simple: recognition works when it is frequent, meaningful, and clearly connected to the behaviors your organization wants to see more of."
Next to the problem of not defining job outcomes and success, the next major element of driving exceptional performance with high performing teams is having a comprehensive and vibrant reward and recognition program.
In this video by Simplilearn, discover the fundamentals of Change Management and learn how organizations successfully navigate transformation in today's fast-changing business world. From managing workplace change and driving employee engagement to leading digital transformation initiatives, this short video explains the key concepts, benefits, and strategies behind effective change management.
Whether you're a project manager, business analyst, aspiring change manager, or business leader, understanding change management is a critical skill for career growth in 2026 and beyond.
💡 Learn how successful organizations adapt to change, overcome resistance, and create a culture of continuous improvement. ✅ Subscribe to our Channel to learn more about the top Technologies: https://bit.ly/2VT4WtH
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16 Strategies for Scaling Company Culture from Growing Companies Scaling company culture as a business grows presents unique challenges that require intentional strategies and clear frameworks. We asked industry experts to share how their companies ensure that culture is scalable as they grow.
Great article on best practices in executing on driving culture and values as your grow your company. Many CEOs look at culture and values as soft and squishy issues that take a backseat to more important issues like getting sales or hitting financial objectives.
The reality your culture and values drive motivation, effort, impact, and desire. They make a difference in whether you are able to attract top talent and keep those great people. Number one reason outstanding performers leave is that your culture and values are either horrible or non-existent.
When are we going to realize that creating and executing on culture and values is what drives above average success?
Why declining quit rates may hide workforce issues. Learn how stability masks disengagement and burnout—and what CEOs must do to retain top talent before they leave.
Explores how leaders can build “adaptive organizations” that thrive under uncertainty—from AI disruption to economic volatility—by embedding vulnerability, creating alternative leadership paths, mastering delegation, establishing cultural rhythms, and making feedback transparent...
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Although the article was a summary of Aon's research and was a little too generic for me - there was an interesting point I wanted to share from this article that mentioned over half of employees feel change initiatives were not well managed. Why - what is it about change, action plans, new initiatives that turn off most employees - there's something deeper here than just the issue of fear of change.
My experience and research into change management shows that over 80 percent of all initiatives fail to achieve their desired outcomes - including hiring, employee engagement, investments, acquisitions, IT systems, and change initiatives. Most of the time the actions are good strategic initiatives but fail miserably because we don't manage the employees who are implementing it and working on it. How can we do better?