Employee Engagement: Learning from Other Company’s Successes and Failures

Employee engagement is an important part of your business’s bottom line. Without it, you will experience high employee turnover and low morale. The following sections cover common engagement failures, organizations that faced them, and how to do better than them. So if you and your leadership team are ready for changes within your engagement system, here we go.

Failing to communicate

The business may be booming, but that does not mean you can stop proactively listening to your employees. This means scheduling time for Q&As or circulating surveys. They need to know that you are keeping them informed and taking their advice and complaints seriously. Your business may be your baby but healthy employee engagement comes from the common endeavor, which means they have to be proud of it too.

Nike is a prime example of what happens when employees' concerns are ignored, and individuals are discouraged from voicing their concerns. In 2018, the company made headlines after numerous women came forward to news outlets discussing a toxic workplace environment. Although Nike did implement changes to address these problems, not before their brand took a lot of damage.

How can your company ensure lines of communication remain open? Regularly scheduled one-on-one sessions are a big way to make sure everyone’s voice is heard. Email communication is another way to involve multiple individuals in a conversation. But even if you speak with all your employees on a regular basis, do not lull yourself into a false sense of security. Be open with your teams and tell them you want to address their concerns, which will go a long way in overcoming engagement issues.

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Not recognizing employee’s work

Everyone enjoys recognition for a job well done. Your employees work hard to hit deadlines and present the best-finished product. A failure to give praise or an acknowledgment of this dedication will lead to poor performance and morale. Implementing a recognition program for top performers in your organization isn’t that hard. From weekly chat messages to company-wide eblasts, all of these are ways to shine a spotlight on your employees of the week.

The global hotel chain, Hilton, implemented a recognition calendar program for employees. This calendar included tips for managers on how to highlight individuals during each month of the year. The program was a great success for the company, especially with keeping individuals engaged in their job.

But it’s not just current employees that benefit from a culture of recognition. Prospective employees can look up your company’s recognition program or hear about it by word of mouth. If you have a great system in place then you can hook some great new individuals for your business.

Preventing individual skill development

Your industry is always changing and evolving, the same goes for your employees. They want to expand their skill set to improve their personal performance and your organization’s results too. But when you hamper any opportunities for education, then your workers end up in a rut. Supporting attendance at virtual events or signing up for educational websites will go a long way in preventing boredom and complacency. 

AT&T created its own university program for continuing education amongst its employees. The leadership-led program helps employees learn not only about their current position but sets them up for success with future roles within the business. But the company does not just rely on its special university program, it’s also developed other initiatives to help with continued learning opportunities.

Although you may not have the resources to create your own learning program, there are still lots of free resources for your business to utilize. Whether it’s masterclasses on YouTube or your own manager’s presentations, offering skill development is a big plus for employee engagement.

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Overlooking support staff

Do not forget your behind-the-scenes people, they’re the ones that are a big part of making your company run smoothly. Whether it’s cleaning staff or part-time employees, they need their moments of recognition too. Although their work isn’t as directly vital to your immediate success your business will still grind to a halt without your cafeteria staff.

Food delivery company DoorDash soured its relationship with its drivers when they failed to properly reimburse them for their services. Although DoorDash’s business model relies on delivery drivers, the drivers didn’t feel they were properly paid for their service and created their own campaign to improve pay. Instead of listening to their employees, DoorDash ignored them.

To avoid a problem like this in your organization, don’t forget all the people that make it a success. Proper pay, recognition, and little acts of kindness go a long way in making your support staff feel appreciated.

Thinking engagement is a one-and-done session

All right, now that you’ve scheduled your monthly meeting with your staff, that’s enough of an investment in employee engagement, right? Wrong! Your relationship with your team is an ongoing process and it involves constant work on your end. 

About Author: This article is written by a marketing team member at HR Cloud. HR Cloud is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.