Tim Hebert
Management Services Committee Member
A&W Electric, Inc.
Many research organizations study employee engagement, and they should! Employee engagement is one of the most effective ways to keep your team productive. Include them in solving daily problems and capitalizing on opportunities that present themselves in your business.
Gallup reported that approximately 70 percent of employees do not feel actively engaged in their jobs. That is a staggering number. Studies suggest this generally results from a lack of:
- Communication from supervisors;
- Clear expectations or definition of success;
- Satisfaction from their work;
- Empathy from their management team.
Whether true or not, that is what many people feel.
When I overlay what employees say with what we as business owners are or are not doing (according to the last Management Pulse Survey), it becomes clear how we contribute to our employees’ attitudes.
Job Description Use
According to the survey, our community does well with formalized job descriptions as approximately 67 percent of respondents indicate they use them (Figure 1). Hopefully, these are available to all employees, as it speaks to clear expectations and a vision of success. I have been guilty of creating job descriptions, placing them in a binder and waiting for them to do their magic. I now ensure that all employees have a copy of theirs, and we review them periodically. I cannot be frustrated with somebody for not meeting expectations they didn’t know I had!
Figure 1
Personality Profiling
Approximately 20 percent of respondents use profile screening (like DiSC) as a hiring tool to help determine a proper job fit (Figure 2). Even fewer (14 percent) utilize these tools with existing employees (Figure 3). We know that when people are in roles they enjoy, they will thrive. These tools can help us determine the appropriate roles for team members.
Figure 2
Figure 3
In my business, I am expanding my use of DiSC as a pre-hire screening and using it more with existing employees to ensure we have the right people in the right seats.
One-on-One Conversations
Another question from the survey involves a practice that many of us find difficult to integrate. While one-on-one conversations with employees can be time-consuming and challenging, I cannot think of a better way to demonstrate that we care about our people.
Scheduled conversations about career development and work satisfaction would undoubtedly address the “my boss doesn’t care about me” mindset some employees have. Roughly 55 percent of respondents say they do this informally and sporadically, while others do it on a more scheduled basis. Of those who regularly meet, quarterly is the most common frequency (Figure 4).
Figure 4
The development process is informal for 47 percent of respondents. Twenty-three percent formalize the development process, and 28 percent have no development process at all (Figure 5).
Figure 5
There is a lot of work for us to do, but the good news is we can make three or four changes and see dramatic improvements in our associates’ attitude and engagement. That is my takeaway from this most recent survey. I hope this helps you think some about your organization’s professional development tactics.
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