Employee Engagement — The Key to Success

HR functions within organizations are showing continued focus on the topic of employee engagement, and are seeing engagement as a true difference-maker in overall levels of performance.

The concept of engagement — broadly defined as the emotional commitment towards the organization — is seen as not only contributing to the overall level of productivity and work quality of the organization, but instead is being seen as a key factor in overall corporate performance.   A 2015 Deloitte survey measuring 3,000 global business and HR executives found that 78% of respondents found that employee engagement is the most important trend for HR as a field, both today and for the foreseeable future.

Here is a “10C” framework that leaders can utilize when framing (and evaluating) both their personal engagement efforts, as well as the engagement efforts of their organization as a whole:

1. Connect — management must demonstrate the value of employees by creating true relationships and connecting with employees as individuals
2. Career — leaders must provide challenging and meaningful career growth options for employees
3. Clarity — leaders must provide a clear outline of the organization’s vision and goals, and must communicate expectations clearly, as this helps all employees work together towards common goals
4. Convey — leaders must provide timely and constructive feedback to employees, which helps the employees improve skills and keeps them focused on their performance
5. Congratulate — leaders must appreciate the sincere effort, achievement, and dedication of employees
6. Control —  leaders must give control to employees, and allow them to be part of the decision-making process as a team
7. Contribute — demonstrate and share the impact employee’s actions are having with regards to the organization’s success and growth
8. Collaborate — increase collaboration opportunities
9. Credibility — leaders must maintain high ethical standards, and show care and respect for employees
10. Confidence — leaders must display confidence and trust in their employees, including delegate effectively and letting employees be responsible for their own work

These engagement factors are seen as being even more important when managing millennials, whose desire for feedback, praise, and recognition have been well-documented.   With this in mind, demonstrating the above behaviors is not simply a luxury for enlightened employers — instead, only organizations embodying the above will be seen as employers of choice by millennials.