The Employee Engagement Network

I received a question from a business owner who was wondering whether it was more important to focus on employee engagement or morale in these tough economic times. What I’ve found and my clients have put into practice is an approach that builds a foundation that allows the business to both engage and build morale in its workforce. The key point for owner and managers to think about is what they want their workplace to look like. Consider the following points as you build an engaged and productive workforce.

1. Are you promoting open two-way communication?
2. Are your employees asked to excel based on their talents or are they dropped into positions?
3. Are employees regularly and genuinely praised?
4. Do your managers delegate effectively and spot talent regularly?
5. Do you have a methodology in place for helping people work together?
6. Do you have a system in place for people to develop and achieve goals?

How you answer these questions will give you an idea whether your workplace is building a foundation for success or otherwise. If you already do all six of these points then you are probably running a company that benefits from high employee morale and engagement.

When we build a well considered foundation we reap the rewards in the long run.

Regards,

Guy
I help businesses plan and build employee success.

Tags: building, business, coaching, consulting, corporate, engagement, facilitator, human, leadership, management

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Guy Farmer Comment by Guy Farmer on April 29, 2009 at 12:40am
Hello Derek,

I read the blog post and I really like your approach. I have consistently found that employees achieve at a higher level when they are recognized as human beings and allowed to grow and thrive. I'm glad you're working from that perspective. Not surprisingly (as I'm sure you know), businesses and organizations also see positive returns when they practice this approach with their employees.

I'm sending a friend invitation your way as well. I look forward to connecting in the future.

Regards,

Guy
Derek Irvine Comment by Derek Irvine on April 26, 2009 at 3:24pm
Very interesting points, and I agree, Guy. I recently wrote along the same lines on my blog about six different types of recognition employees need (drawn from Gallup and Engauge):
1) Recognition of effort
2) Recognition of skills and talents
3) Recognition of the need for focus and direction
4) Recognition of personal needs
5) Recognition of the need to grow and develop
6) Recognition of the need to let off steam

The full post is available at: http://globoforce.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-type-of-recognition-do-you-need.html

I'm curious what you think of this concept. It seems as though we are working to the same end.

Latest Activity

5 members updated their profile photos
11 minutes ago
Jon Weedon and Robert Manolson joined The Employee Engagement Network
14 minutes ago
Saurabh Gahrotra Does complete talent fitment lead to absolute performance???
25 minutes ago
32 minutes ago
A manager should always remember he/she is "on stage"- and his/her subordinates notice every little trait so always exhibit the behavior you would want them to emulate.
34 minutes ago
As a Leader it is your job to facilitate progress, be the agent of change not the barrier to it.
53 minutes ago
Jim Taggart added a blog post
From Jim's Blog: Changing Winds I love Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits, in which he writes on simple productivity and life issues. His recent book The Power of Less is a compact and practical guide to reclaiming your life from busyness and inefficiency. I…
1 hour ago
Hi Ben... Thanks for the reply! Question--what have you seen as a "clear, coherent script" that assures success? And do you think such scripts need updating to address the shifts we've seen in organizations and the marketplace? All the best from…
1 hour ago
In my experience, achieving engagement creates huge increases in productivity per person, morale, retention, profits, sales, and every other "devoutly to be wished" result. So it is always worth the effort. But the company person, CEO or executive…
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
Latest EE news is now posted for Friday.
1 hour ago
Do two things: trust your employees unconditionally and give them more responsibility than they would ever expect; they will rise to the occasion and surpass all expectations.
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
Mike Klein--The Intersection added a discussion
In the wake of "The Great Recession" and in appreciation of the changes in the economy and in the nature of employee-employer relationships, the idea of “employee engagement” (“Engagement”) presents an intriguing dilemma. While some say a focus on…
1 hour ago
Interesting question. I'm drawn to less is more, and even that may be too much :) My experience has shown me that the more fearful the organisation is, the more often it seeks to measure as a means to try and stave off the fear. It then often ends u…
3 hours ago
I would contend never is too soon. If you understand what engagement is and how to achieve it, then you know what an engaged employee sounds like and acts like as compared to one who is somewhat engaged or disengaged. Surveys turn people off while…
4 hours ago
Look beyond generic engagement tools: focus on personal drivers from employees, group them accordingly and align engagement tools.
5 hours ago
The real challenge to engage employees is to gain trust by giving them autonomy to shape their own jobs to their own wishes, interests and strengths but always aligned with an open and transparant organisational vision and strategy.
5 hours ago
Before you start engaging an employee, know him and respect him as an individual first and engagement will follow.
8 hours ago
Listen! Zip your mouth. Don't interrupt them when they are opening up to you and expressing there feelings. Remember, its about them not you!
9 hours ago

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