cnhrp quarterly session: engage: employee engagement

Employee Engagement for Non-

Profit OrganizationsDavid Topor, Ph.D.

Custom Research Manager, ERC

May 13, 2015

Today’s Agenda

1. What is employee engagement?

2. What can I do to enhance employee engagement?

3. How do I measure employee engagement?

What is employee engagement?

Are engaged employees happier at work?

Are engaged employees more satisfied at work?

Do engaged employees demonstrate more organizational citizenship behaviors?


Do engaged employees get “lost in the moment” on their jobs?

Are engaged employees more intrinsically motivated?

Do engaged employees work harder?

Are engaged employees more productive?

What is employee engagement?“Engaged” employees are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work. They contribute to their organization in a positive manner. The consistently perform at a high level, and use their talents and strengths at work every single day. They work with a passion and a sense of pride about their work. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.

What is employee engagement?“Not engaged” employees are difficult to spot. They are not hostile or disruptive, and may even appear happy or satisfied. However, they lack passion, energy, and commitment. They feel a disconnect from their manager or coworkers. In a sense, they show up for work and “go through the motions.” They would leave to go work for another company if a better opportunity arose.

What is employee engagement?“Actively disengaged” employees are consistently negative and seem to be against everyone and everything. To make matters worse, they vocalize this displeasure to others. They monopolize a manager’s time, account for more quality defects, contribute to theft, miss more days of work, and quit at a higher rate. In short, they’re miserable at work, and make others around them miserable.

Did you know???Only 30% of employees are “engaged” in their work (State of the Global Workplace, Gallup, 2012)!

If your organization were a 10-person bicycle, statistically speaking…3 employees are peddling with all their heart.5 are just along for the ride, pretending to pedal.2 are slamming on the brakes.

Group Activity #1

Thinking about your current workplace, what percentage of your employees fall into the following categories?

_____ Engaged_____ Not engaged_____ Actively disengaged

Group Activity #2

How much time and energy (as a percentage of a typical workday) do you invest in those employees who are:

_____ Engaged_____ Not engaged_____ Actively disengaged

Did you know???In one study comparing highly-engaged teams with lesser-engaged teams…

Productivity differed by 21%Profitability differed by 22%Absenteeism differed by 37%Theft differed by 28%Accidents differed by 48%Quality (defects) differed by 41%Customer service differed by 10%(Q12 Meta-Analysis, Gallup, 2012)


“I know it when I see it.”(1964, Justice Potter

Stewart)

Group Activity #3

Describe a time when you noticed someone at work who was “engaged” – what were they doing? What did it look like?

Describe a time when you were “engaged” at work – what were you doing? What did it feel like?

“People are our most important asset”

Is this true? Do you believe this?


In an executive board room, what gets discussed more often?• Sales figures or recruiting?• Profit levels or retention rates?• Stock price or morale?

Case Study: The Campbell Soup Company

In 2000, sales were declining. Campbell’s lost 54% of market value in just one year.

Employee engagement levels were among the worst ever seen in a Fortune 500 company.


“To win in the marketplace…you must first win in the workplace. I’m obsessed with keeping employee engagement front and center.”

Doug Conant, Incoming CEO


By 2009, the ratio of engaged employees to actively disengaged employees increased to 23-to-1!

In the decade that saw the S&P 500 stocks lose 10% of their value, Campbell’s stock increased by 30%!


Engaged employees Work harder, longer, and with more focus

Increases in productivity, service,

and quality

More satisfied customers

More sales and more profit

Higher stock share price

Higher total shareholder value

Also, because fewer employees leave, recruiting and training costs are reduced

Did you know???People who are dissatisfied with their jobs are far more likely to be hospitalized or even die from a cardiac event? (2009, Swedish WOLF study)

If a parent has a bad day at work, his or her child is more likely to misbehave in school the next day? (1996, Queen’s University study)

There is a direct correlation between job satisfaction and marital bliss. (1985, NYU study)

What does this mean?Want better health?

Want well-behaved children?

Want a happier marriage?

Then become fully engaged at work!

The Psychology of Work Life and Home Life

Spillover effect – The positive or negative effects of one’s work life on his or her personal life.

Crossover effect – The transfer of positive or negative emotions from one person to another (including one’s spouse, child, etc.).

How much control do you have over engagement?

The majority of engagement comes from one’s relationship with his or her immediate manager!

“People join companies…but leave bosses.”

Did you know???Managers can account for as much as 76% of the variance in employees’ engagement.

Approximately 70% of the reasons employees give for leaving an organization can be attributed back to issues in which their immediate manager had direct influence.

(Estimating the Influence of the Local Manager on Employee Engagement, Gallup, 2014)

Group Activity #4

If you are a manager, what can you do over the next few months to make your employees feel more engaged?

As an employee, what would you like your manager to do over the next few months to make you feel more engaged?

Today’s Agenda




Enhancing Employee Engagement1. Communication

2. Development and Growth

3. Recognition and Rewards

4. Trust

5. Team comradery




4. Trust

5. Team comradery

Employees need to feel that they have a “voice” and believe they are “kept in the loop” on important organizational matters.

Key Factor #1 - CommunicationHow often do you meet one-on-one with your manager?

How often do you read company-wide newsletters, bulletin board postings, or e-mail announcements?

How accessible is senior leadership in your organization?

How often does your manager conduct “stay” interviews?

Case Study: Burcham Hills

Burcham Hills Retirement Community decreased turnover by 72% by implementing annual “stay” interviews with their employees!

HR Magazine (December 2011)

Key Factor #1 - Communication

How to conduct a “stay” interview:Keep it conversational and informalDon’t grill employees or take meticulous notesDon’t get into solving problems (you’ll handle those later)Don’t commit to anything




4. Trust

5. Team comradery

Employees need to feel that they are advancing towards their career objectives and are learning new things.

Key Factor #2 – Development and GrowthDo you feel challenged at work?

Does your organization offer training specific to your career needs?

Do you have someone at work to help guide and support your career?

Key Factor #2 – Development and GrowthDo you understand your role in the organizational hierarchy?

To what extent are career advancement opportunities available to you?

Do the most deserving employees earn promotions in your organization?

Key Factor #2 – Development and GrowthQuestions to ask your employees:

What are their career goals for the next year? Next 3 to 5 years?

Can these goals be accomplished within the department? Within the company?What KSAs are required for their current position? For any future position?

Key Factor #2 – Development and GrowthCreating opportunities:

CoachingMentoringDevelopmental projects and task forcesShadowingJob rotation, job enlargement, and job enrichment




4. Trust

5. Team comradery

Employees need to feel appreciated for their hard work, and that their efforts are acknowledged and sincerely valued.

Key Factor #3 – Recognition and RewardsHow often does your manager say, when appropriate, ‘thank you’?

How often do your team members say, when appropriate, ‘thank you’?

How do you feel when one of your ideas is implemented at work?

Key Factor #3 – Recognition and RewardsShowing appreciation:

Handwritten thank you notesGive employees a card signed by the entire teamPraise your employees in front of othersBuy the department lunch or a snack in an employee’s honorReward employees with comp timeTreat an employee (and his or her spouse) to dinnerRe-examine your current onboarding program

Key Factor #3 – Recognition and Rewards

You can never say “good job” or “thank you” too often!

Case Study: The Campbell Soup CompanyRemember Doug Conant from the Campbell Soup Company?

He would end each day by hand writing 20 notes to employees and partners.

He estimates he wrote over 30,000 notes in his tenure at Campbell’s!

Did you know???

Only 10% of employees say “thank you” to a colleague each day.

Only 7% of employees express gratitude to a boss.

(Janice Kaplan, Gratitude Survey, John Templeton Foundation, 2012)




4. Trust

5. Team comradery

Employees need to feel a sense of independence and autonomy in their work, being empowered to take risks, do their work as they see fit, and make mistakes (but also learn from them).

Key Factor #4 – Trust

To what extent do you know your organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals?

How much does your manager “micromanage” you?

At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every single day?

Key Factor #4 – Trust

How much freedom or independence do you have to do your job the way you think it should be done?

To what extent does your manager “walk the talk”?

How does your manager react when you make a mistake at work?

Key Factor #4 – TrustDemonstrating trust:

Your words and actions must alignGive employees the freedom to do their jobsBe transparent – share the bad news along with the goodAcknowledge mistakesInstill a sense of confidence in the future of the organization




4. Trust

5. Team comradery

Employees need to feel a social bond or “connection” with others at work. Friendships – both at work and outside of work – are important.

Key Factor #5 – Team Comradery

How often do you formally meet with your teammates?

What percentage of employees do you consider to be “friends”?

To what extent does your manager sincerely care about you as a person?

Key Factor #5 – Team ComraderyEncouraging team comradery:

Don’t discourage “water cooler” chatsTake the lead in sharing personal information about yourselfHold regular team-building sessionsPlan off-site get-togethers for employees and their familiesCelebrate team successes

Set aside time to spend time with your coworkers to share ideas and best practices

Today’s Agenda




Group Activity #5

Within the past year, have you measured employee engagement in your workplace?

If so, what aspects of employee engagement do you measure? How did you share the results? How did you act on the results?

Measuring employee engagement

If you want something to improve, you first need to measure it!

Ideally, you want to measure employee engagement every 6 to 12 months.

But keep in mind…timing is everything.

Measuring employee engagement1. Hire a consulting firm or a survey research firm.

2. Have a conversation.

3. Develop your own survey.


Developing your own survey:Use paper-and-pencil or online formatLikert-type items (and avoid a “neutral” choice)Keep it anonymousPut demographic items at the end


Developing your own survey (continued):Provide space for open-ended commentsAllow 1 – 2 weeks for employees to complete itMaintain confidentialityAct on the results


One reason employees are so cynical of employee surveys is because they take up a lot of time and nothing ever seems to come of them!

Sharing the survey results

1. Share the averages for all of the individual questions. NEVER show individual results!

2. Share a graph depicting the results over time


Remember…you want to facilitate a discussion – not be the one doing all of the talking.

Even if the results don’t look good, share them anyway!

Don’t judge or be dismissive.


Communication is at the heart of any engagement survey initiative, and both transparency and honesty are the keys!

Over-communication is rarely a problem.

Remember…you want two-way communication.

Creating a “culture” of engagementAnnuallyA ½ to a full day retreat to communicate organization-wide goals and action plan for the upcoming year, as well as how each department aligns with those goals.

Again, don’t lecture – it should be a conversation.

Have employees create a “cheat sheet” to hang in their cubicles or design a poster to hang in a common area.

Creating a “culture” of engagement

QuarterlyPause to review progress made against annual objectives, and then set actionable objectives for each quarter or month.

Have fun – work in a team-building activity or two.

Creating a “culture” of engagementMonthly or WeeklyMeet one-on-one with each direct report for 15 – 30 minutes for some “personal time” and to discuss individual goals and objectives.

Always end with the same question: “What specifically do you need from me this week?”

Hold team meetings to review key metrics and keep everyone “in the loop” with other projects and activities in the department.

Group Activity #6

As a manager, when you get back to your workplace, what is one thing you will do today to increase your employees’ engagement?

As an employee, when you get back to your workplace, what is one thing you will do today to increase your own engagement?

Thank you!

David Topor, Ph.D.Custom Research Manager, ERC

[email protected]

cnhrp quarterly session: engage: employee engagement

Recruiting & HR