3 approaches to employee engagement and business innovation

Employee retention and turnover rates have been a heating topic over the last few years. Countless metrics have proven the high correlation between employee engagement and a company’s growing profits.
Unfortunately, these types of discussions are not consistently put forward in business strategy meetings or upon setting up KPIs.

Every large organization recognizes the importance of human capital by investing heavily into benefits, review processes and internal programs or committees, in order to take care of their employees. However, recent data shows that these approaches no longer seem to be sufficient for employees to stay.

Instead, organizations should address Employee Experience the same way they tackle Customer experience. It should constantly adapt with time and be personalized to stand apart.

The average employee’s tenure in a company is estimated to be at 4.1 years. This number is lower amongst the Millennial and Gen Z generations, averaging at 2 years.
It ordinarily takes 3 to 6 months for an employee to get acclimated to a company’s processes and culture, to fit in with colleagues and become more comfortable with the day-to-day work. Within this time, if the employee has not been taken care of and received proper onboarding experience; they are likely already thinking of changing jobs.

We also need to acknowledge the weeks or months required to review and interview candidates. Valuable time taken away from managers that could focus this energy on advancing the business. Adding to this, the lengthy processes HR go through at the beginning of each hiring process.

With this in mind, we have studied 3 simple approaches that could help your organization capture your employees’ attention and see productivity rise:

Communication

• Communication starts at the interview stage.
  It is not uncommon that HR and hiring managers tend to upsell a position during the interview process, resulting in altered expectations once a new hire embarks in their new role.
  This tends to create confusion when it is time to apply themselves to the actual job requirements.
  Providing transparency about the actual realities of the job at the interview stage, can help the candidate evaluate if the position aligns with their personal and professional goals.
  If it is, that candidate has more chances of being involved and engaged in his/her daily responsibilities, being fully aware of what they signed up for.

• On the opposite side, it is equally essential for the hiring manager to recognize a candidate’s personal goals, through verbal and non-verbal cues. A hire that does not have a passion or objective that aligns with a position or company’s mission can only hurt the team’s productivity, morale and ultimately the business.
  On some occasions, candidates have not done the work to properly envision their personal goals before interviewing for a job; therefore, it is intrinsically important for a hiring manager to evaluate what is best for both, through active listening and empathy.

• Once hired, many employees are not taken through what is expected of them, what their role encompasses and where they fit into the organization. We often see new hires wondering and figuring out what they will be required to do, until they make a mistake that will teach them about their limitations. These mistakes can easily be avoided if the right support is put in place with an effective onboarding process.

• It is important to understand that every individual communicates differently. Detailed communication is the key to avoiding misunderstandings.
  A non-judgemental stage for open dialogue is critical for encouraging more transparent communication that will get to the root cause of problems and avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
  This is where personalization comes into play. A general way of communicating to all employees does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. Companies should consider altering their communication strategy to adapt to the different personas that englobe their diverse workforce.

Collaboration

• At the heart of every start-up, lies collaboration. It often derives from limited resources, where roles are less defined, and employees are involved in multiple areas of the business. It is also cultivated through an agile mindset engrained in their methodology, to deliver instant value and inspire innovation.
  
• As organizations grow, roles become more distinct and siloed in order to fulfill certain tasks. With this evolution, teamwork and collaboration naturally suffers. A line of command is formed, where results are based on the execution of top management strategies, taken without the input and expertise of those involved in the implementation process.
  A best practice for maintaining collaboration, as organizations grow, is to trust and empower employees by giving them the tools and information needed to make their own decisions as a team.
  Transparency of expectations, availability of data combined with the right tools and support can only nurture great results. It gives employees the confidence needed to develop their skills, encourage collaboration and evaluate winning strategies to reach higher performance in their department.

• Leaders and managers also need the appropriate training and support to instill this collaborative ethos in the company’s culture, giving them the ability to provide strong direction to their teams.
  This type of organizational transformation often leads to increased opportunities for innovation in any business field.

Coaching

• Coaching, mentorship and shadowing are crucial elements in the employee experience. When done consistently and not sporadically, it can bare great fruits and develop the talent and skills of many employees, leading to great personal growth.
  Providing guidance and support, pushing an individual’s capabilities, listening without judgment, recognizing effort and good work, and empathy are only part of the skill sets managers should aim to master, to inspire their teams to thrive beyond their department.

• As we continue to explore more about Diversity and Inclusion, it is important to understand that inclusion is not limited to recognizing an employee’s background and racial descendance.
  It is equally significant to practice inclusion during decision processes. This feeling of inclusion will encourage employees to be increasingly involved in the company, rather than acting as outsiders awaiting fort their list of orders.
  When employees feel more included, they feel more valued.
  When they feel more valued, they are more confident in their potential.
  When they feel confident, their performance increases.
  As a result, they naturally commit to the company’s vision and goals with the desire of seeing their company prosper.

• Personal development is at the core of every employee’s goal.
  When a company recognizes and supports each employee in their development stage, they are tapping into a limitless pool of opportunities for engagement, performance and ultimately profit.

To conclude, it is important to see a workforce as a group of diverse and unique individuals. To treat them all the same would be to devalue their assets, skills and talent. When doing so, companies only tap into a small percentage of their workforce’s actual potential.

At the root of every human being is the necessity to contribute and bring value to the world. If you take that away from them, you leave employees with poor mental health and indifference, which can ultimately hurt a business.

The same way personalization is a roaring trend in customer experience, so should employee experience and engagement be given the same care and approach.

At 8visio, we created a set of tools and techniques to monitor and cultivate successful employee experiences in order to help your company reach higher productivity rates and set the right stage for continuous business innovation.