Being in my early 60’s, I’ve worked my entire career in the fields of marketing, video production, lead generation and tele-sales. Over this time, I’ve worked for various sized organizations that had quite different philosophies on how employees were treated, and motivational tactics employed. Some were much better than others.
It wasn’t until I came to work at HiP B2B, that I finally learned what employee engagement was all about, and the tremendous role that it plays in productivity. In no way, did I intend this piece to be a testimonial for my employer, even though it may sound that way at times.
What I have learned since working here is that if you provide an environment that encourages and fosters creativity, your employee’s will be so engaged that they will perform at an enthusiastic level of engagement. Pay them well and provide great benefits and they will go above and beyond the levels of productivity expected.
The Results Show!
The results of HiP’s Employee Engagement Program have displayed overwhelming success in how it has affected their productivity. The proof is definitely in the pudding. Consider their achievements based on this:
- Fastest-Growing Companies in the Albany Area, 2012
– The Albany Business Review
- Capital Region’s Fastest-Growing Companies, 2013
– The Albany Business Review
- Top Advertising Agencies in the Capital Region, 2013
– The Albany Business Review
- Fastest-Growing Companies in the Albany Area, 2014
– The Albany Business Review
- Top Communications Firms in the Capital Region, 2014
– The Albany Business Review
- Fastest-Growing Companies in the Albany Area, 2015
– The Albany Business Review
Is Your Staff Engaged?
To borrow a graphic from Marketing Land –
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I’ve worked at all three types of environments, the most difficult being the “Not Engaged/Disengaged” bottom of the pyramid. This broad base unfortunately is characteristic of many employers out there. Management does little to inspire the staff and treats them like they are just a number. The result is the staff watches the clock, hoping the day ends quickly. These people are only in it for the paycheck and really don’t care about their future because they are looking for greener pastures elsewhere.
Then there is the “Almost Engaged”. You are proud to work there, but there is something missing. It could be pay, benefits, management style, or lack of advancement opportunity. Regardless of the reason, these employees are willing to listen to other opportunities and could be lured away.
“The Highly Engaged” feel like they are vital cogs in the business and take pride in their work and the company. They love working there and aren’t going anywhere. They are happy to refer friends and associates for job openings, as they know they will be treated right. They are willing to go above and beyond the call of duty for the company.
How Can I Inspire My Staff to be Highly Engaged?
- This process has to be a company wide commitment.
The entire management team needs to be onboard. Why? At one former employer with the worst morale I’ve ever seen, the employees went outside during break time and verbally based the company for the full break. My contribution used to be “Half the management team reads comic books, the other half just looks at the pictures.”This practice went on daily for over two years that I worked there. Why did I stay? I had the one and only good supervisor who treated you with dignity and respect. Once she left, so did I. It has to be a companywide consistent effort for attitudes to turn around.
- Are you listening to your employees?
How are you interacting with your employees? Are you focusing on the employee journey? How often do you offer praise and recognition for a job well done? HiP shares it successes with the entire staff. It shares employee successes with the entire staff, as well. Ownership is always willing to listen to good ideas and sponsor those that resonate. This makes the staff feel a part of the success and a part of helping us reach our collective goal.
- Create a platform for the employee journey —
According to Karen Steele, Marketo’s Group Vice President of Corporate Marketing “look at every touch point of the employee experience, from recruiting and onboarding to enabling, listening, developing and retaining. Then you must design programs to drive intellectual buy-in (communicating vision, plans and “how you fit in”), emotional buy-in (gamification, social amplification, peer recognition and so on) and brand advocacy.”
Famous Last Words –
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” – Anne Mulcahy (former CEO of Xerox)
The Big Kumbaya in CyberSpace
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To hear the rantings of other voices on the same subject:
Culture – Your Next Growth Strategy by Igloo Software
The Five New Rules of Employee Engagement by Paul Keegan, Contributing Editor, Inc.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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