12 WAYS TO DRIVE GREATER EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT, APPRECIATION & SATISFACTION IN 2015
12 WAYS TO DRIVE GREATER EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT, APPRECIATION & SATISFACTION IN 2015 Over the last twelve months employee engagement has become the largest global HR issue. The latest survey conducted by Deloitte confirmed that a lack of engagement is the top issue effecting a staggering 87% of HR and business leaders, rising from 79% last year.
50% of business leaders cite employee engagement as being ‘very important’ (26% previous year) 60% of leaders confirmed that they do not have an adequate process in place to measure and improve engagement 7% rated themselves as excellent at measuring, driving and improving engagement and retention
Where do you sit as a business? Within the ever evolving world of work, the constant need to get the most out of your talent team resides as a key factor in driving growth, strength and efficiency into every aspect of business. As more and more companies look to re-invent their approach to recruiting, retaining and developing talent, we’ve stressed how integral a focus on engagement and empowerment is to maintain competitive advantage and deliver more profitable business outcomes. As they key recruitment partner to many leading national and international brands, we’ve always extended our approach and service beyond the acquisition and placement of leading talent. We deliver long term solutions that contribute to your wider business goals. In this e-book we cover key areas of instrumental value to your company: building stronger partnerships, attracting top talent and inspiring greater innovation and collaboration within the workplace. As your recruitment partner and brand advocate we value and prioritise your business goals above all else.
1| THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS VALUES
Behind the success of every brand, company decision and new product lies not just a ‘what’ but a ‘why’. Every company has a focus, a driving factor and a set of values establishing purpose within their market. They don’t just work to support your company’s vision, they work as a uniting factor within your organisation, they set a higher purpose to what you do, and they are the essence of your identity. Whilst it’s so important to demonstrate these values externally to differentiate your brand, it’s also imperative (and often overlooked) that these values should feed into every aspect of your business and personnel internally. Never before has the concept of a ‘cultural fit’ been so important within the area of recruitment. As a leading Search and Selection company we know just how important company values are when it comes to bringing top talent into your organisation and it works both ways. Candidates are looking for companies that they can relate to and environments that they can thrive within, in turn businesses are looking for individuals who align with their values and have the ability to immerse themselves in the business ethos. It’s very difficult to instill core values into individuals, but by building a team of people who share these values from day one you’ll harvest a like-minded environment which will not just deliver internal advantages but external advantages to. These values will enable you to cultivate a particular culture, give rise to opportunities where individuals can develop in line with your values and reward individuals who reinforce these within your team. Behind every profit lies a purpose and this purpose should lie within your values, as a fundamental, fixed and timeless ethos of your organisation.
How have you established your company values? Are your values imprinted on the work you do and reflected through your employees? As a business are you working towards the same goal?
2 | HOW TO DELIVER A COMPETITIVE BENEFITS PACKAGE
Did you know that just 1 in 7 employees are aware of their internal benefits package? Today's stats from OnRec have sparked discussion into the importance you place on benefits and how you communicate these to both current & new talent. When it comes to initially attracting individuals, a high level of emphasis is often placed on the importance of a high salaries. Whilst this works to initially attract individuals, the follow on question is always what are you doing to retain them? Companies who offer competitive salaries combined with a tailored and bespoke benefits package, don’t just work to entice and incentivise, they also work to engage, retain and increase morale. From private healthcare to generous holiday allowances, discount vouchers to company cars the options are endless, but they also don’t need to be at a huge expense to your company. The key is to offer flexible options and allow your employees choice, no two people are the same and as a business deliver the understanding that employee needs are important to you. You might think it goes without saying to communicate these company-wide but with the stat announced by OnRec that more than 3.7 million UK employees are unaware or missing out on their internal benefits offering, awareness is certainly effecting the value of this incentive. These benefits add security and often encompass key areas such as health and wellbeing, which work to make individuals feel valued, so don’t forget to shout about them! Consider perks that individuals within your industry are looking for, deliver options in line with promoting a work/life balance and add value to your efforts by communicating and demonstrating these company-wide.
What are you doing to differentiate yourself from competitors and attract desired talent? How have you communicated your benefits offering, and how are these being utilised by your team? How has your benefits package contributed to recruiting and retaining talent?
3 | DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE EXIT INTERVIEW TO TALK
Exit interviews serve as a great opportunity to listen to your employees and gain further insight into their experience within your company, but why wait until this point to talk? When it comes to reviewing, evaluating and improving your working environment, proactivity rather than reactivity is essential. A recent report from independent charity, the Centre for Mental Health revealed that unproductivity and disengagement costs UK businesses £15 billion a year. So why are so many employers waiting until it’s too late to react to this, at such a high financial and talent cost? Workplace communication is key on so many levels, and it’s absolutely central to carving a motivated and valued workforce. This communication works both ways, whilst it gives employees the opportunity to address any concerns and express opinions, it also gives you as the employer another opportunity to re-enforce your expectations. 10 Reasons To Communicate More… 1. Reinforce company values and growth aspirations 2. Tackle any personnel issues head on 3. Obtain crucial feedback from employees to aid retention and avoid high turnover 4. Give feedback & drive progression 5. Demonstrate the value you place on your employees 6. Improve office culture 7. Aid diversity and break down barriers 8. Increase trust and give a stronger sense of security 9. Monitor productivity more closely 10. Increase collaborative thinking and working • What is your internal communication strategy? • How often do you wish you had done more to retain top talent? • How has increased communication effected productivity, motivation and engagement?
4 | EMPLOYEE ADVOCATES ARE YOUR STRONGEST ASSETS
Every company is looking to cultivate loyalty & advocacy with their audience, however many overlook the fact that leverage of this advocacy needs to start internally. It works in a circle, engaged employees make passionate employees, the more they act as advocates and talk passionately about your company/brand, the more connected and engaged they become. By leveraging employee advocates you not only build and strengthen internal trust, you emphasise to your employees how vital they are to your company. The rise of social media, has displaced the influential power of brands with a greater emphasis on the influential power of individuals, and companies need to react to this. There are now more customer facing employees than ever before and it’s imperative that your employees are given the ability to, and encouraged to talk about your brand. Your strongest assets lie in your team and by bringing your internal advocates in direct contact with your customer base you have the ability to reflect company passion, brand values, and customer service standards more credibly than any other channel allows. Five Key Benefits of Cultivating Employee Advocates: 1. Benefit from engagement, which effects multiple crucial areas of your company 2. Harness the value and credibility of positive word of mouth referrals 3. Build trust internally and as a result externally 4. Ensure your employees feel vital and valued 5. Increase awareness, exposure and loyalty Whilst awareness drives interest, advocacy goes further than this and drives loyalty, and customer loyalty is more important to businesses now than ever before. • How important do you feel it is to create employee advocates? • Do you encourage advocacy within your organisation? • How has this reflected positively on your company?
5 | THE IMPORTANCE OF PROGRESSION & ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
It’s a natural attribute that talented people want to advance and look for progression. It also goes without saying that lack of opportunity for advancement and development still rates highly as a contributing factor to staff turnover. So, given that control of this lies directly within your hands as employers, why isn't more being done to define structured and motivational career paths? The importance individuals place on advancement and progression opportunities has taken a sharp rise in-line with the increased levels of uncertainty that have plagued the business world over the past years of economic instability. Whether businesses are now looking to expand their team or develop internally, offering advancement is crucial to both recruiting and retaining talent and this looks set to continue into 2015. How To Deliver A Clear Path To Progression 1. Build a layered organisation chart detailing clearly defined levels, roles, experience and competencies. You need a clear set of criteria in order to manage the advancement process effectively. 2. Consider personality traits and behaviour as well as experience and skillset, you are looking to advance rounded candidates through your business so all areas are essential considerations. 3. Offer employees the additional training & development support they require in order to progress within the company. 4. Make time to review, it’s important that you are able to provide your employees with insight and feedback on their current position within the company and their opportunity to progress. Take time to review throughout the year which offers both sides the opportunity to discuss any areas effecting progression. 5. Be transparent, with clear paths come motivated employees, focused employees and success driven employees. Within an environment that welcomes progression, maintains momentum, fosters learning and drives development you’re contributing to the 360-degree welfare and future of your business, crucial to maintaining competitive advantage in 2015. • Do you offer your employees a clear path to progression? • How have you implemented this process internally? • How has your organisation benefited from promoting advancement?
6 | SUSTAINABILITY AND THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
It’s a dominant theme within the business world and an essential ingredient to success…but how many businesses are fully dedicated to managing sustainability in today’s economic climate? Growing emphasis on the importance of responsible, transparent and sustainable business practise has made it almost impossible for businesses to neglect the wider picture of corporate responsibility. The triple bottom line (TBL), more commonly referred to as ‘People, Planet, Profit’ has shifted attitudes towards a more rounded reporting system, focusing on the risks, opportunities and obligations of social and environmental factors as well as financials. Public perception, brand awareness, and employee attitudes have a greater impact on businesses today than ever before. From tax avoidance headlines implicating Google, Apple, Amazon and other leading global brands to the UK horse meat scandal that rocked the FMCG industry, responsible practise is under scrutiny, and not just from the wider community. On a daily basis we are given insight into the driving factors motivating individuals to make the change within companies, it’s a huge decision to take a new step and individuals have more to consider today than ever before. It isn’t just about financials; it’s a closer fit than that. Individuals are looking for transparency & commitment, they are looking for companies that are dedicated to sustainable practise and environments that drive excitement, possibility and change. It’s not about being cut throat as a business, it’s about the bigger picture and it’s the businesses that are internally committed that will win the top talent, survive shocks and stand the test of time. The Benefits of Managing Your Business TBL:
Build & manage positive brand awareness Benefit from the ability to be transparent with your business attitudes Create greater internal balance Engage more meaningfully internally & externally Involve and engage employees, customers, community Drive possibility and change Bring about an opportunity to re-engage audiences Positively impact your local communities Positively impact the wider environment Attract and retain top talent Strengthen your business against inevitable economic shocks
How important is sustainability within your business? How do you manage your triple bottom line? How important is it to create a business that people are proud to be a part of?
7 | THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE AND A 360º FIT It’s a fairly consistent approach that businesses rate skills and experience as the defining factors when it comes to recruiting new individuals. Experience is easy to define, and skill set is easy to assess but where does this leave the consideration of an individual’s values, habits, behaviour and culture? Following a report from Forbes that ‘89% of hiring failures are due to poor cultural fit’ it’s an issue that is plaguing the business world, and yet one that companies are still struggling to asses effectively. There are multiple areas that define a company’s culture, it isn’t controlled by top management it’s inherent within the company’s behaviour, norms, values and belief system and maintained by all individuals operating within the team. So how do you assess if new individuals will align with this? There’s been a clear lack of emphasis and definition as to company values previously, however this is becoming less and less the case. As we’ve evolved within the Search and Selection industry we’ve directly experienced the shift in cultural focus that our leading clients have adopted. With the growth of culture-driven organisations there’s been a greater requirement to take a more innovative, in-depth and 360 approach in order to more effectively assess suitability. This year we adopted a new technologically advanced system in order to deliver more accurate shortlists and deliver an exact fit for our clients. Through the incorporation of attitude and behaviour measurement tools we’ve taken away the reliance upon ‘gutfeelings’ and enabled clients to more scientifically assess how individuals would fit within their organisation. As organisations base a greater importance of the recruitment, engagement and retention of top talent we’ve observed the impact that culture has on all three stages. Motivated by the fact that cohesion drives strength and a shift towards cultural focus drives more agile, innovative thinking, its more important than ever to understand and define your culture and its impact.
How often have you found yourselves hiring based on skill set and firing based on cultural fit? What criteria do you currently use to effectively asses candidates against? Typically what is your interview to placement ratio? Have you defined your company culture in order to recruit and retain more effectively?
8 | DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE
As an employer your team are your greatest assets. Managing their morale, productivity, engagement and development is key to your success, but how many business leaders cite diversity as central to effective people management? Driving an inclusive environment is proven to significantly impact employee outlook, yet still companies are struggling to effectively implement diversity strategies. LinkedIn, Google, Apple & Facebook all took to the web this year to publish their own internal statistics, with the results re-emphasising the need for a more comprehensive approach to equal opportunities from even the biggest names in business. How can inclusivity and diversity really benefit you both internally and externally? With the increased demand for innovative thinking and more companies looking to drive global expansion, diversity is more integral today than ever before. By capitalising on the breadth of experience, talent, vision and culture that a diverse workforce brings companies not only work to increase engagement and productivity, they also achieve greater competitive advantage. 1. Breed an inclusive environment where all individuals feel encouraged and empowered to contribute. 2. Gain exposure to new markets. 3. Attract a wider talent pool. 4. Benefit from a breadth of experience and viewpoints. 5. Increase motivation through a diverse representation within leadership roles. 6. Capitalise on all employee strengths, driving productivity and progression. 7. Support & manage skill shortages and recruitment challenges more effectively. 8. Widen community engagement & deliver a positive company image. 9. Foster creativity & drive innovation. 10. Gain competitive advantage.   
What importance do you place on diversity in the workplace? How do your recruitment and retention methods support your diversity strategy? How do you intend to increase diversity within your company in 2015?
9 | INCREASE PERFORMANCE THROUGH AN EFFECTIVE INCENTIVE PROGRAMME Motivation, behaviour and performance are the primary driving factors of competitive advantage, but with the stat released by Gallup that just 13% of workers are engaged worldwide it begs the question, what could you be doing to increase motivation levels? Incentivising is a proven technique used by many organisations on an ad-hoc basis however many fail to realise the benefits that come from a formalised and consistent programme. The IRF (Incentive Research Foundation) report that incentive programmes that run for a year or more produce an average 44% performance increase. This report clearly demonstrates the importance of building this into your employee package, but how should you approach your internal incentive programme? - Incentives should be company-wide, and inclusive of every member regardless of their role and level within the company. - Be creative and also offer input to your team, one size will not fit all so enable your employees to tailor incentives that will truly motivate and engage them. - Your programme should be centred around shaping behaviour, cultivating individual development and enhancing loyalty in line with your company values. - The criteria that you set should not simply reflect your own business priorities, it should also reflect your client/customer priorities too. - Be consistent with your communication, an effective programme needs by in from all levels and a good level of understanding from all individuals to encourage effective participation. An incentive scheme not only brings about opportunity to enhance performance and loyalty, it also gives you the chance to re-establish individual expectations, company values and employee attributes that lead to success. Adopt an internal incentive scheme today, and deliver your key objectives in a more attractive and motivational manner to maximise your competitive advantage.   
Do you offer an employee incentive scheme? How has the effectively contributed to the attraction, engagement, retention and productivity of your employees? How have you aligned your incentive criteria with your business values and customer/client priorities?
10 | INCREASE MANAGEMENT TRANSPARENCY It’s a concept we've touched upon repeatedly across our engagement campaign, it’s been rated as the #1 factor contributing to employee happiness (TINYpulse) and it’s considered to be one of the most important factors effecting employee engagement, but how integral is transparency to your business? In today's climate every organisation should be thinking about how they can increase transparency not just externally but internally. As we ask for more participation and involvement from employees with that has to come a greater involvement from top management to open up processes, offer greater opportunity to impact business decisions and deliver the bigger picture. Encouraging and maintaining a cohesive, collaborative working environment is on the top of many business agendas for 2015, but how can increased transparency contribute to this? Five Reasons To Be More Transparent in 2015 1. It enables you to effectively share your vision internally and deliver the bigger picture. 2. It enables you to offer greater opportunity for employee contribution in decision making processes. 3. It increases internal confidence and assurance. 4. It’s a low cost initiative that’s proven to be not just effective but imperative in business. 5. It encourages advocacy, not just participation.
How effectively have you communicated your organisations vision for 2015? How transparent is your management communication? How could you increase internal transparency to motivate and engage your workforce?
11 | CREATE AN ENGAGING OFFICE ENVIRONMENT Given that it’s the one place that your employees will spend the greatest amount of time, it seems only right that office environment plays an integral part in the motivation, engagement and development of your workforce. Creating and maintaining a collaborative team is going to be key to business advancement in 2015, whilst a great deal of this is driven by behaviour, environment also has a part to play. It’s not about buying the most expensive furniture, creating the most exciting space, or having the widest range of facilities, it comes down to functionality, collaboration, efficiency and flexibility. By breaking up the working environment, offering a greater sense of diversity between key working areas and encouraging a greater level of creativity through innovation, you not only benefit your current employees, you also create a greater sense of value for prospective employees, partners and clients. Changes to your environment should be shaped internally and driven by the needs and suggestions of those who understand your environment best, your employees. Taking the time this new year to understand how you could effectively enhance and improve your internal space could play a key role in driving value, productivity and engagement into 2015. 10 Benefits of An Engaging Working Environment 1. Balance your environment 2. Promote collaboration 3. Aid and enhance efficiency 4. Drive creativity 5. Encourage interaction 6. Offer the option for informal interaction 7. Be more welcoming and inclusive 8. Build morale and add value 9. Increase productivity 10. Serve company needs as well as company perception and personality
Is your environment shaped by the needs and feedback from your employees? How has your environment aided in the recruitment, retention and development of your employees? Does your environment cohesively reflect your external business perception?
12 | BE CONSISTENT As we draw a close on our twelve key areas to increase employee engagement there’s one crucial thing that will determine the continued success of each and every initiative, and that success lies in consistency. Whether your focus is on implementing a more inclusive development scheme, establishing concrete company values, introducing a structured incentive programme or giving greater focus to the cultural fit of your team, the driving momentum of any incentive or focus is in a consistent approach. As businesses continue to look for new ways to re-invent their approach to the recruitment, retention and development of talent we’ve covered the key areas that support a drive towards greater engagement and empowerment within organisations, ensuring you maintain competitive advantage and deliver more profitable business outcomes into the future. The 12 Key Pillars of Greater Employee Engagement 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
The Importance of Business Values Deliver a competitive benefits package Communication is key Employee advocates are your strongest assets Encourage progression and advancement opportunities Prioritise sustainability and the triple bottom line The importance of culture and a 360 fit The importance of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace Offer an effective incentive programme Increase management transparency Create an inspiring and engaging environment BE CONSISTENT
If you’d like to know more about the ways The Advocate Group can further support your expansion and retention efforts as a business, we’d love to tell you a little more. We’re highly confident that our approach can not only add value to your current process, but deliver measurable, strategic and targeted solutions to dramatically increase the success and profitability of your future recruitment efforts.
0844 997 9700 | www.advocate-group.co.uk | info@advocate-group.co.uk