What’s your New Year resolution going to be? Perhaps a personal challenge to resist that extra slice of cake or to make at least some use of that gym membership? Or maybe on the business front you have decided that 2014 is going to be the year of change, of growth and of moving the organisation on to a fresh culture or fresh challenges. If so then you better act fast. Sadly for many businesses, there is a high chance that their employees’ New Year resolution is to look for another job.
Sounds unbelievable doesn’t it? After all that you have been through together, the recession, the difficult times and the start of fresh hope in 2013, why should employees look to leave now when better times are ahead? Well the stark truth is that because better times are ahead job opportunities are opening up and that means restless feet are encouraged to set off for pastures new. And being honest, in the bad times whilst you were concentrating on fire fighting, did the emphasis on maintaining a strong culture slip just a little; did you assume that because jobs were scarce employee engagement didn’t matter as much?
So what now for 2014? The economy is back on the growth path and businesses are jockeying for position, all eager to make the most of the good times ahead. But if your plans are based on willing workers then it pays to take soundings now so that you can act before it is too late. Of course there may already be faint signals that all is not well. Increased staff turnover, a rise in absenteeism, falling productivity and missed deadlines can’t all be blamed on the office Christmas party. But thinking that employee engagement is slipping and understanding what is going on are two very different things. That is where an engagement measuring tool such as the Culture Consultancy online engage model comes into its own.
Online so that it can be completed more easily by all, anonymous so that employees are encouraged to express their true thoughts and feelings, the engage model helps organisations to understand the views, concerns and wishes of employees. The MacLeod Review states that leadership, line management, employee voice and integrity are key enablers of engagement. If you want engaged employees then you need to give them a voice.
Simply asking the question is the first step into moving the organisation back into engagement. But if you ask the question you must be prepared to act on the answers. Failing to follow up sends a signal to already disaffected employees that you don’t really care, that you are going through the motions of a tick-box exercise with no intention of improving engagement or conditions.
So ask the question then act. Act on creating the right formula which will engage employees through Purpose, Policies, Relationships, Enablement, Environment and Well Being. Act on reforming the company culture so that it steps up to the challenges of 2014, through innovation and through strong ethics. Most of all act on creating an organisation which is agile and flexible, which cares about its employees and in which the provision of an outstanding customer experience is woven into every thought and every process.
We’ve already seen the first signs that the world is opening up again with the promise of a strong future. 2014 is the year of opportunity, the year in which hope turns to reality. Will you be ready to take advantage, with engaged employees and a robust culture? What is your New Year resolution going to be?
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