Industry nsights The Magic of Employee Engagement

By Pete Blank,

According to the Gallup Organization, employee engagement continues to drop in this postpandemic era. After trending up in recent years, the percent of engaged employees dropped from 36% in 2020 to 32% in 2022, while active disengagement has also risen by four percent since 2020. Different studies show multiple reasons for this decline, including poor leadership, lack of communication, and balance issues, just to name a few.

During my 13 years with The Walt Disney Company and over 16 years in local government, I have learned that it is difficult for leaders to motivate employees. I am a big believer in intrinsic motivation and that can only come from within oneself. However, that does not give the manager / supervisor / leader the option to just throw up their hands and say, “Well, I can’t do anything to assist. You all are on your own.”

Quite the opposite. I feel that leaders must create an engaging environment for their employees that allows them to find their inner purpose and meaning, which helps them find that intrinsic motivation. While there are many options, I find focusing on the three “T’s” is a great place to start: Training, Team Building, and Thank You’s.

Provide Training And Development Opportunities For All Employees

Training and Development (some organizations have migrated the term over to “Learning and Development) is not a “nice to have” in 2023 – it’s a “need to have.” Today’s employees have more choices than ever: remote work, hybrid work, three part-time gigs, etc. It’s been said that employee retention is your best talent acquisition strategy, and I could not agree more. In local government, we need to spend less time filling vacancies and acquiring new staff and more time investing in keeping the ones we have engaged and motivated.

One simple way to do this is by offering all kinds of training: leadership, supervision, orientation and onboarding, professional development, communication skills, and more. Offering this type of learning can be a true differentiator for your city or agency. In the past, when times were tough and money got tight, employee development and HR programs were always the first things to be cut. Today, I would argue that it is the most important thing to be keeping and even expanding. Career development opportunities like training and upskilling are listed at the top of most employee expectation lists in 2023.

While conferences are still viewed as the main way to learn, those can be expensive if you have a large team. If your city/agency has an internal training staff, make sure you allow your employees to attend as many of their classes as possible. Beyond in-person training, you can always find a way to allow employees to learn at their own pace while on the clock. Providing them 1-2 hours per week with any of the following options is sure to add value:

• Watch a Ted Talk or YouTube training video

• Create a book club on a leadership / technical skills book

• Hold a mastermind group

• Provide Lunch-n-Learn opportunities where staff members lead these sessions to assist each other (How to use Canva, Zoom Tips and Tricks, Gardening Tips for the Summer)

Providing learning opportunities like these is a great way to create an engaged culture.

ALLOW FOR TEAM-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES

While this sounds similar to training, it does have its own niche. Team-Building is a catch-all phrase that includes everything from icebreakers before meetings to lunch gettogethers to full-scale off-site events. The more remote / hybrid employees you have, the more important it is to get this one right.

Team building is more than just a fun few moments together. It can do the following:

• Allow team members to understand the personalities of others

• Create more effective communication processes

• Prevent misunderstandings between different team members

• Provide opportunities for empathy and understanding

For some organizations, team building works best when you DON’T call it “team-building.” Many employees hear that phrase and immediately think of dangerous ropes courses, silly “trust falls,” and other exercises that make even the most extroverted employee blush. Instead, just introduce them as “something different today” or “a new activity” or even “try some new communication strategies I read about.”

It does not matter what you call it…what matters is that you do it!

SHARE “THANK-YOU” MOMENTS WHEN POSSIBLE

This one is simple, easy, low-cost, and may have the most value when trying to turn employees from disengaged to engaged.

These can be delivered peer-to-peer, manager to employee, or even employee to manager. They can be verbal or written. They can be public or private.

The only thing they cannot be is insincere.

Thank-You’s should be specific and timely. Telling a coworker “Thanks for your help” is not as valuable as “Thank you for jumping in and assisting with that line of citizens today. I know your time is valuable, and I truly appreciate you coming out from your office to help us with the volume.”

As you make plans for the remainder of 2023, be sure to add “enhancing employee engagement” to your list. When you provide training, allow for team-building, and share thank-you’s, you increase your chances of creating an engaged staff, department, and culture.

Pete Blank is presenting Employee Engagement: Lessons from the Mouse House as the general session keynote speaker at the CSDA General Manager Leadership Summit on June 27, 2023. He is a leadership expert, author, and national speaker. His 13+ years at Disney and 13+ years in local government provides over 25 years of experience in leadership development and organizational culture.