Why (some believe) employee engagement doesn't work

[Tim Wright]

Lately a number of my clients, colleagues, and talkers at the coffee shop are commenting that Employee Engagement may be getting too big for its britches.

"I'm hearing and reading all this stuff about engaged employees. I don't see it making that big a difference."

I've begun a very brief survey, inviting people to register their Yes or No opinion about the value of engagement. Then there's a chance to state why you think engagement might not work, regardless of whether you said Y or N. If you'd like to participate, with complete anonymity, click here.

This week I will begin sharing compilations of the data, as it comes in.

Here's the most common "reason" for Employee Engagement not returning all that's promised:

Failure to understand what Employee Engagement means and what it requires.

Here's the difficulty. There is no one-Employee-Engagement-fits-all-businesses definition. It's true that the business with a high number of employees demonstrating high quality engagement will achieve greater results than others. But that does not mean the engagement will look the same for a small store-front business and for a manufacturer with 1000+ employees. Or a construction company in 7 states. Or a local restaurant with 75 employees, 45 of whom are part-time.

Here's the problem. Developing, communicating, and activating a business's specific definition (and understanding!) of employee engagement takes time. Time is precious. The desire, then, is to buy the off-the-shelf Employee Engagement Program That Solves All Our Problems. And when it doesn't, the opinion is: Employee Engagement Doesn't Work. And, given what's been experienced, that opinion is not invalid.

Here's the recommendation. Commit time and energy to defining Employee Engagement that will benefit your business.

1. Commit time. Set a completion date by which you will have defined Employee Engagement thoroughly and applicable to your business situation. Estimate how much time this may take. Add 20%. Schedule sufficient meetings over the span of time. Advanced scheduling that you will stick to can be critical to success of this step.

2. Identify key players. Explain the project/process. Invite their participation and garner their commitment to be a full and active member of this team.

3. Determine specific(!) results you want to achieve from increasing your business's employee engagement. Start with categories: customer satisfaction, employee recruitment and retention, productivity increases, expense reduction, increased market share, for example.

4. Indicate specific degrees of success desired in the specific results areas: percentage increase, dollar savings, decrease in number of errors, for example.

5. Decide upon specific engagement behaviors you desire to increase among your employees. Certainly these behaviors are to contribute directly to the results you've specified (#3 and #4). This step will require the greatest amount time, the most energetic (and patient) facilitation, high levels of creative input and discussion...to achieve the truest and most viable definition of employee engagement.

6. Draft a concise definition based upon #5. This definition will be communicated--even publicized--among management and employees...possibly community, customers, and consumers. Use it.