Is Employee Engagement Fuzzy?

Each person has been a disengaged employee at some point in their professional career. In this economy, people do not want to talk about engagement. It seems the general attitude is “Keep your mouth shut, your head down and do your job well so that you do not get fired.” Some even say engagement is too warm and fuzzy of a concept which cannot be quantitatively measured, so it is not worth upper-level management’s attention. While it is important to be a good employee in order to keep one’s job, it is also important for leaders to make sure that their employees are willingly performing and gladly complying.   Theft and Dishonesty:  This is a million-dollar question that corporations try to answer: “Why do employees steal?” Some people are unethical at their core, and there are few ways to change them. However, some employees steal, cheat and lie out of spite. Think about it. If an employee works everyday to please his employer and never receives credit or notice, eventually he will become resentful. Once resentful, he does not care whether he is fired or whether he disappoints his manager. Therefore, he is not conscientious about being unethical. Consider the contrasting situation in which an employee honors his boss and aspires to please him. That employee is less likely to be dishonest or steal because he does not want to disappoint the person he is trying to impress. It is human nature to foster the most favorable circumstances in order to survive. If the employee will survive and advance by being a trustworthy, respected employee, then he will be ethical.   Absenteeism: Most people would agree that enjoying going to work is an incredible feeling. Work enjoyment can be the result of many factors: strong relationships with coworkers, respect for the leadership or satisfaction from the nature of the work. When one enjoys being at work, they are more likely to become engaged with the company itself. This could be manifested in many forms. The employee is more likely to invest in developing relationships with coworkers, which automatically improves the office culture. The employee is more likely to avoid negative behaviors that would disappoint the leadership he so strongly respects. The employee is more likely to work more efficiently and passionately because he enjoys his work. This in turn will spark creativity and make for a better product or service.   Conflict: Being in an office is much like being in a family. There are a handful of personalities, moods and motivations. So, resolving conflict in an office is accomplished in the same way it is in a family. The first element to consider is whether the family is functional or dysfunctional. In a functional family, all members respect one another. They may not agree at all times, but they will listen with an understanding spirit and collaborate on how to find a realistic solution. A dysfunctional family will yell, blame and often walk away from the conversation. They are not invested in the relationship enough to care about resolving it. This concept also applies to work relationship dynamics. If employees are engaged with one another, they will seek to resolve conflict because they appreciate their work environment too much to allow conflict to ruin the culture.   Productivity: No Company can accomplish its goals unless its people are supporting its vision. Every organization needs to demonstrate its commitment to its people before they could be expected to demonstrate their own extraordinary commitment to it and its success. This understanding becomes the base of a Promise, which is summed up by the phrase, “Value your people, people will value you.”  Create a workplace that values engagement! It is important to do more than talk about the theory; there are tangible ways to implement values that foster engagement. There are four simple ways to help employees become engaged and they all have to start at the top with the leaders. However, before implementation, first assess the current engagement level. There are engagement surveys that can measure the engagement attitudes of the employees so that benchmarks can be set. The first way to improve engagement is to make sure that the leaders in the organization value the concept of engagement and that the leaders themselves are engaged in the organization. An unengaged leader cannot improve engagement in his department. Second, make sure employees have meaningful job descriptions and that the jobs they are in are relevant to their skills, personality, education level or interests. Third, make sure that team work is encouraged and collaboration is valued. If the leader allows an atmosphere of unhealthy competition to exist, then team spirit will be smoldered. Finally, allow for happenings that allow co-workers to see the more human aspects of one another. This can happen during office birthday celebrations, off-site quarterly lunch outings etc. The recent recession has sparked analysis of the workplace nationwide, but often it is inaccurate or incomplete. Many employers believe that those still employed have a mindset of relief and thankfulness, and that they will do everything in their power to keep their position. While this is somewhat true, those still employed are also struggling with a complex array of negative emotions fostered by a lack of engagement. Many are distressed over the loss of fellow coworkers while simultaneously worrying about their own jobs. Engagement is the solution to maintaining productivity. Disengaged and distressed workers will not meet their productivity potential. Managers should consider engagement a top priority during this especially sensitive time. With a renewed sense of leadership and a valid attempt at engagement, workers will begin to feel more at ease, and will maximize their productivity.