Employee Engagement

in Difficult Times

www.re-engagebook.com

Leigh Branham

Mark Hirschfeld

Engaged Employees…

� Give more discretionary effort

� Receive better customer service ratings

� Speak well of the organization

Are more likely to stay� Are more likely to stay

� Voice more ideas

� Adapt to and facilitate change

� Engage other employees

� Yearly competitions 44 U.S. Cities

� 10,000 employers of all sizes have applied since 2004

� 2.1 million employees surveyed

Data from 37-question engagement survey and 200,000+ � Data from 37-question engagement survey and 200,000+

comments analyzed

� Have employee engagement levels decreased since the

recession began?

� Are some employers maintaining or gaining employee

engagement in spite of the economy?

� If so, what are these employers doing differently and � If so, what are these employers doing differently and

better?

� What can employers do to lessen the disengaging effects

of fear, uncertainty and doubt?

� Can this be an opportunity to actually increase employee

engagement?

� Compared to last year at this time employees

where I work are:

� More engaged,

� Less engaged,

� About the same.

“We don’t see a psychological recession….

During the last five years, overall levels of

engagement have remained relatively

stable, at just over 50 percent globally.”stable, at just over 50 percent globally.”

(Conference Board Review, May/June, 2008, Vol. 45, Issue 3)

The majority of employers saw decreases in

employee engagement.

86.58 86.68

87.7

90

80

Q1 2008

Q1 2009

Q1 2010

-- Q1 2010 results from 62,625 employees across the U.S.

� A 2010 report from The Conference Board based on

a survey of 5,000 workers found that only 45 percent

are satisfied with their jobs - down from 61. 1

percent in 1987. percent in 1987.

� Almost 1 in 4 workers in an Employee Benefit

Research Institute survey postponed plans to retire

this year, with 29 percent of those citing the poor

economy as the reason.

� According to a study reporting on HBR Online,

many high potential employees are considering a

job change as the economy strengthens.

� “Although it is more difficult to be successful in the

current state of the economy and increased

competition, the company has maintained focus on its

goals and keeps its employees informed. They want goals and keeps its employees informed. They want

everyone to be successful and they provide the

necessary resources to do so.”

� “This is an awesome place to work where the sky is

the limit. I trust the leadership and feel secure,

despite the economy.”

� “Look for many departures when the economy picks

up.”

� “Stress levels are very high and there seems to be no

sympathy for employees that are directly affected by sympathy for employees that are directly affected by

this economy, only blame. The entire country is in

financial stress and yet somehow this company

manages to find a way to place the lack of sales on its

employees.”

How some employers are gaining ground:

� Setting a clear, compelling direction that empowers each

employee,

� Open and honest communication,Open and honest communication,

� Continued focus on career growth and development,

� Recognizing and rewarding high performance, and

� Employee benefits that demonstrate a strong

commitment to employee well being.

� Develop a clear and credible plan for, and path to, success.

� Make sure the plan is clearly communicated from top to

bottom.

� Seek and welcome every idea for making the plan a reality � Seek and welcome every idea for making the plan a reality

and delivering more value, e.g., big/small improvements,

new ideas/innovation.

� Don’t sugar-coat the reality/challenge.

� Senior leaders are open, visible, and vulnerable.

� Involve employees in idea generation and reward the ideas

that work.

� Hold “50-50” meetings.� Hold “50-50” meetings.

� Provide a steady diet of bite-size status reports

� Conduct frequent “pulse” surveys.

� Focus employees on company growth as key to future

personal growth.

� Managers hold “career check-ins” and paint a picture of

possible options and scenarios.

� Challenge employees to create their own opportunities by � Challenge employees to create their own opportunities by

meeting “un-met needs”.

� Encourage temporary job trials, job swapping, cross-training,

and skill-building rotations.

� Don’t stop investing in employee growth; create everyday

learning opportunities.

� Challenge all supervisors to notice and appreciate employee

contributions.

� Celebrate team accomplishments.

� Spread the word about customer success stories.

� Confront and coach poor performers.� Confront and coach poor performers.

� Resist temptation to “crank up the negative consequences.”

� Conduct surveys, listening sessions, and/or focus groups.� Remind employees about all benefits and their value.� Hold meeting to put the team’s life-work issues on the table

and address.� Create “Red Zone” awareness and encourage � Create “Red Zone” awareness and encourage

“interventions”.� Educate about stress/time management, healthy diet,

exercise, and lifestyle. � Encourage socializing, fun, and stress-relief.

"Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it."

-- Sir Winston Churchill

Join us in San Diego on June 30th

at the

SHRM Global Conference SHRM Global Conference

when we will present:

“Navigating the Crosswinds of

Employee Engagement”

www.silverstonegroup.com

www.quantumworkplace.comwww.quantumworkplace.com

www.keepingthepeople.com

www.re-engagebook.comwww.re-engagebook.com

@ReEngageBook

Thank You!

Questions?