Why Your Employee Engagement Programs Aren’t Working By Laura Juarez As a business owner and leader, I chased the
There’s also the insidious reality that people feel
nirvanic state of high employee engagement for
insulted or misunderstood when we fail to address
years. Well-intentioned, I researched, rolled out
basic needs but we’re more than happy to bring in
programs, created engagement teams, surveyed my
pizza once a month or give away the “Employee of
people, hosted cookouts, paid for baseball tickets —
the Month” parking space.
you get the picture. You’ve probably tried these incentives, too. You
So before you do anything, do an honest assessment of your foundation based on research
can’t open LinkedIn without seeing at least one
and direct feedback from your people. Here’s a
expert post about boosting engagement. There is a
starting point:
reason for concern in a world where finding and keeping great people is more challenging than ever. According to data from the Gallup Institute, less than a third of U.S. workers report being moderately to well engaged, and 56% are actively looking for another job. Almost every leader I talk to wants to create a great place to work. And yet, something is broken and giving everyone a $50 Amazon gift card for a great month isn’t going to fix it. But before we dive in, let’s revisit what Maslow taught us about the path of impact. Maslow’s work is intuitive. If our foundational needs are unmet (safety, financial stability, etc.), no amount of motivational incentives, training or
• Based on the true cost of living in your region, are you paying a total compensation package that creates financial stability? • Do you offer a financially reasonable solution for people to access physical and mental health services? • Is your work environment psychologically safe? Do people feel like they can be authentic, learn from mistakes, use their voice and trust the people around them without fear of retribution? • Do your expectations of working hours and personal boundaries allow people to live a well-balanced life? • Is the physical environment itself healthy?
one-on-one conversation is going to fix it. At work,
(noise, odor, lighting, safety, etc.)
foundational needs are psychological safety, financial
Let’s assume you’re in good shape on the
stability (compensation and benefits), a dependable
foundational basic needs. Maslow next teaches us
work schedule, and a healthy, safe working
that people deeply desire to feel like they belong and
environment.
are loved.
The number one reason our engagement efforts
Thriving cultures understand that meaningful
fail is because our foundation is cracked. If you aren’t
relationships matter. Leaders who create thriving
paying a living wage, it doesn’t matter how effectively
cultures understand that performance discussions,
you communicate. It’s like playing beautiful music for
feedback processes, meeting calendars, and training
someone wearing earplugs. We cannot be our best
plans are the primary vehicles for trust and
when our physical, mental and emotional stability is
connection. Trust and connection aren’t the
threatened.
byproduct of effective communication; they are the International Surface Fabricators Association • Vol. 14 / Issue 4 • 33
