Engagement Strategies: The role of HR

Lisa Jobson

A Renewed Focus

Recession has put engagement at the top of priority list

Drive to increase efficiency and productivity

Recovery places additional emphasis on retention strategies

Head count reduction, change to pay and conditions will have impacted engagement levels

Employees expect more in exchange for heightened engagement

Factors Affecting Engagement

One’s

DEMOGRAPHICS

defines one’s

INTERESTS

which defines one’s

BEHAVIOURS

A Well Worn Phrase

To Engage….Occupy, attract, involve, pledge, participate……establish a meaningful connection with….

How can we recognise these behaviours ? Sees problems…and offers solutions Takes ownership for change…and makes it happen Helps colleagues and customers…selflessly Gets involved and contributes…across the company Speaks with pride…about the company and all of its stakeholders

Symptoms of Disengagement

What are your symptoms ?

Resistance to change

Absenteeism

Increased workload

Drop in productivity

Breakdown in relationship

Under utilised

HR Lighting the Way

Build relationships, be visible, interact and support your stakeholders

Design job specs and develop selection processes to ensure matching the right people to the right jobs

Focus on on-boarding to avoid the potential dip during the first 90 days

Exit Interviews – conduct them and feedback the output even if it’s a difficult conversation

Be creative with new schemes and initiatives

‘Sell’ rather than ‘Tell’ the benefits of engagement strategies

Strong Leadership

Help managers become engaged leaders

Set clear expectations around managerial behaviours

Hold managers accountable for behaviours and related skills

Offer training and support to deliver against the expectations

Position the importance of managing people well and communicate this message regularly

Encourage and Empower

Create a positive working environment, within which people can build supportive relationships

Communicate clear goals and objectives that cascade from the organisation’s vision and goals

Empower and encourage ownership of job roles

Delegate – demonstrates trust and increases ownership of tasks

Encourage innovation – better ways of working

Challenge and Advancement

Create stimulation and challenge for your employees through cultural change

Give them autonomy, allow them to take some risks and be open to new ideas

Look beyond traditional advancement routes

Develop subject matter experts, second on special assignments

Build a strong performance management programme designed to set goals, assess progress and identify skills gaps.

Tools for Success

Give employees education and tools to increase business acumen

Help them to understand how what they do affects the organisation and its results

Harness new tools and approaches to strengthen internal & external connections

Champion interaction & collaboration using wiki’s, webinars, blogs, online communities

The Engagement Equation

Many variables to consider when working through your organisations engagement equation

All parties involved have a role to play in raising engagement levels

HR & Line can create the environment and inject purpose and meaning into work

Individual must define values and goals and use initiative to develop skills

HR can add significant value in relation to change at both the strategic level and front line

Successful engagement strategies will positively influence organisational performance at this crucial time