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CEOs and HR Leaders: 6 Ways to Nurture Employee Engagement

Last updated on March 14, 2022

Merriam-Webster defines “Disengagement” as: “To release or detach oneselfWithdraw.”

This blog focuses on employee engagement as they return to the workplace in a post lockdown context.

With the reopening of economies moving along, stay-at-home orders may be lifted soon. As you prepare to welcome employees impacted by these orders back to the office, you may realize that their expectations of you have changed. The shocking number of employees who are considering quitting their job if their needs are not met (between 40 and 95% depending on the survey) should cause you to pause and think carefully about your retention and engagement strategies. The timing is perfect to review your employee communications plan.

First, let’s look at what may have changed:

1- In June 2021, the Workforce Institute published the results of a survey conducted in 11 countries which shows that 86% of employees “feel people at their organization are not heard fairly or equally — and nearly half (47%) say that underrepresented voices remain undervalued by employers.” In addition, “63% of respondents feel their voice has been ignored in some way by their manager or employer.”

2 – A survey of employed Canadians was unveiled by LifeWorks on July 20th. It reveals that “25% of Canadians are unclear of their employer’s plan for work/the worksite and another 12% do not believe that their employer has a plan.” A similar survey conducted by McKinsey & Company confirms that “while productivity may have gone up, many employees report feeling anxious and burned out.” According to the survey, employees’ anxiety is in part due to a lack of information regarding their employer’s post COVID-19 return to work approach.

http://The Mental Health Index™ report: June 2021 | LifeWorks

When not feeling heard, lacking information or experiencing anxiety and burn out, employees will likely disengage and even start to look for a job elsewhere. In the end, your results will suffer. So, how do you prevent this? Establish an ongoing dialogue with your employees! This dialogue should capitalize on two important principles: 1) Soliciting feedback and input from employees and, 2) Circling back through frequent and relevant communications!

In my previous blog, I explored the importance of trust as a performance booster. Listening to your employees and acting based on their feedback promotes trust and a people-centric culture. Dialogue rests on a 2-way communication approach. It is a continuous cycle where you encourage feedback, actively listen, take action, then ask for more feedback. However, it is successful only if you act on the feedback received. Employees will understand that you cannot change everything but listening without taking any action will cause them to stop sharing and start withdrawing.

Here are 3 simple and effective ideas for creating a 2-way communication culture:

1 – Allow employees to ask questions and share ideas or concerns. This could be done through a dedicated email address, an intranet page or during face-to-face meetings such as town halls or virtual company sessions.

2- Conduct regular polls via your intranet or a third party service to explore a specific topic, validate the results of an initiative or assess the effectiveness of your communication tools.

3- As you and your leaders walk around your site, take some time to ask questions to employees: What do you think of X? What are your thoughts to improve X?

Soliciting feedback means that you probe for positive and negative perceptions and experiences. I know it can be frustrating to hear negative comments on anything you and your team may have worked so hard on, but how do you maintain a trusting and positive work environment if you ignore dissatisfaction? How do you replicate great experiences if you are not aware of what made them successful?

Collecting employee feedback is only one direction in the approach. Communicating your efforts to respond to the feedback is the essential other direction. Use all your existing communication vehicles to share what you learned from employees so they know you heard them. Then tell them what you are able to do in response, and do it. If an issue emerges that you cannot take action on, explain why. Never assume that if you maintain silence on something important, people will forget. They will simply talk about it when you are not there and will fill information gaps with assumptions that may be very far from your true intentions.

There are many ways you can communicate to engage. Below are 3 ideas:

1- Provide regular updates from the CEO and Senior Leadership Team regarding company performance, employee feedback and any significant changes or project: Explain what prompted the feedback/change/project, how it affects employees and what the benefits will be for both employees and the company.

2- Establish a recurring page in your employee magazine or on your intranet, dedicated to employee feedback and what the company does in response.

3- Create a yearly “We heard you campaign” where you summarize key feedback from employees and key changes made as a result. If possible, include employee visuals and testimonials.

Creating and maintaining a constructive dialogue with employees takes time and can be challenging, particularly if you employ a large number of people in different locations. But when done well, the rewards are tangible: employees feel valued and you are able to collect the right information to nurture an engaged workforce.

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