Question: Top research firms such as Towers-Perrin, Blessing-White, Gallup and others have been able to characterize collectively more than 20 drivers that drive employee engagement. What kinds of initiatives of Employee Engagement do you think can make a difference in times of economic recession?
Answer: Simple answer to your question, regardless of what's happening with the economy is this: anyone can be immediately engaged and it will sustain if they have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and to feel like whatever they are doing makes a difference.
That's it. If any person in any position can feel like their work and their contribution will mean something they will engage themselves. That's the difference between a career and just a job.
Sorry, I don't buy into the whole list of 20 drivers as it concerns engagement. Give people some meaning in their lives, show them how they make a difference, remind them of it now and then and they will do it because it's important. People want to feel valued. Important work is valuable work.
Make people feel as though they don't matter and they won't matter.
It's so simple. So, let's not make this discussion any harder than it needs to be. Oh, right, I forgot, some people like to turn something fairly simple into a complex science to prove that they've got more answers than the rest of us. That's not engagement - that's egotism. Big difference.
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1 comment:
Kevin: I see this occurring in many areas of HR. There is a need to "scientificate" stuff that is much simpler. The whole personality type indicators, systems theory devices etc. will determine that this employee will be the right fit is putting faith is a set of theories that compartmentalize individuals based on one sliver of being. We need to trust in our human awareness. I like what you say about purpose and meaning. I would add "belonging" and you have the principals of what keeps people together in families, tribes, gangs, nations.
Enjoying the blog. Keep up the good work.
Peter, Hope, BC
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