The 21st century manager's role is to facilitate and coach, not to control, according to Michelle Bailey of Engage for Success, a voluntary movement committed to the belief that employee engagement is a better way to work.
As we gear up to Christmas and all its fuzzy, warm camaraderie, it’s perhaps a good time to re-evaluate employer/employee relationships and consider how they can be improved for solid benefits beyond the razzle-dazzle of the festive season.
Like most industries the print sector has been having a tough time and diversification and integration have become business building strategies, but also key are its people; creating an environment where your employees can take steps to understand and engage with your customers can be a real differentiator for a successful business. We all know that disengaged employees aren’t the people who win new business and they aren’t the ones giving great service to customers!
There is extensive research that confirms the idea that engaged employees perform better, generate higher sales and are more innovative. They provide better customer service, endeavour to understand customers’ needs and will be proactive in taking opportunities for the benefit of your business.
Back in 2009 the Government sponsored the Macleod Report (http://www.engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/ 09/The-Evidence.pdf), that looked specifically at three questions: How good are you at engaging your people? What does this mean? How does this impact your business results either negatively or positively? The findings were astonishing and very conclusive. Employee engagement has a major impact on productivity, retention, customer satisfaction, innovation and ultimately the bottom line.
A Gallup study of 23,000 business units found those with the highest engagement scores (top 25%) averaged 18% higher productivity than those with the lowest engagement scores (bottom 25%).
Companies with high and sustainable engagement levels had an average one-year operating margin that was close to three times higher than those with lower engagement (Towers Watson 2012).
It’s a message that’s beginning to get through to business, and over 1,000 companies have now joined Engage for Success (a national voluntary movement aimed at increasing awareness about the power and potential of employee engagement across all sectors of industry) and, specifically, have signed up to its various special interest groups to share insights and experiences on how to improve employee engagement across British industry. In addition, Engage for Success is conducting on- line survey (www.3ease.com or http://www.e4s.engagement- surveys.com/) to find out what SMEs are doing about engagement.
Here are some of the more unusual proven engagement tactics that you might want to consider:
TALK, TALK...
Most of our communication focuses on giving out information. But if you really want to inspire and persuade people to act on what you’re saying, try handing them ‘control’ of conversations and meetings.
One of my client’s weekly meetings is run by a different employee every time; they are responsible for setting the agenda, running the meeting and writing up the agreed notes and actions. That client is now confident that its addressing the things that are of most interest and relevance to the people attending; overall levels of participation are higher, employees are more knowledgeable about what’s going on and in addition they are developing valuable new skills.
...AND LISTEN?
Really listen to your people and ask for their opinions and ideas. And show that you’ve listened. Listening isn’t just about nodding your head every now and then, neither is it offering ‘yes, but...’ responses. Your people will only believe that they are really being heard when they can see that their ideas and opinions have had some kind of impact.
Sainsbury’s ‘Ask Justin’ scheme means all employees who ask the CEO a question can expect a personal response. In a smaller organisation you could go one step further and share the questions and answers with all your employees via team meetings, email or a noticeboard.
COACH NOT CONTROL
?Old fashioned, top down, management styles don't deliver what customers or employees want or need. The 21st century manager's role is to facilitate and coach not to control or tell people what to do. Give your people information, responsibility, variety and the ability to make decisions about how they work. How about giving them the responsibility to book dentist and doctor appointments without having to ask for approval, ‘take as much holiday as you need’ or work from home with no restrictions?
SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE
Make sure that what you say and do is aligned across both internal and external audiences. Inconsistencies lead to confusion and a breakdown of trust that is vital for effective communication and the development of relationships. This means having one set of guidelines or rules, ensuring everyone knows what they are and works within them.
Take every opportunity to reinforce the required behaviours - there’s a tendency to focus on allocating blame and take punitive actions when guidelines aren’t followed but make more show of the rewards and benefits of doing the right thing. Recognition schemes are great for bringing things to everyone attention but they are more effective when the rewards are visible and meaningful. You can simply say thank you, we don’t say that enough, or be more obvious like Zappos which gives its employee of the month a ‘hero’s cape’ to wear. One business I work with rewards its employees by giving them the best parking space in the car park and another lets their employee swop a piece of work they don’t want to do.
SEEK BUT DON’T HIDE
Don't be afraid to ask customers and employees what they want, what they like about your business and the services you provide etc. Feed back the results, identify where and how you can improve, and tell everyone what you’re going to do and when you’ve done it.
Carry out an employee survey to find out how engaged your employees are, identify where and what you can do to improve. I’ve talked with clients who only want feedback on the things they want to talk about; the problem is still there even if you choose to ignore it! Are you facing up? Make sure you face up to the good, the bad and the ugly.
CREATE AN IDEAS FACTORY
Encourage employees to innovate and improve things. Their ideas may not always work but reward people for trying. Engaged employees are more likely to innovate and will view it as a normal part of their job. You can do this using the tired old suggestion box or something more radical. One client of mine gives staff one day a week to ‘research and learn’. Another gives all its employees a ‘Thinking Day’. They spend one day a year out of the office doing whatever activity they like and when they return the next day they give a ‘presentation’ on what they thought about and what ideas or suggestions they have come up with.
BE UNDERSTANDING
Your reputation for service is an important influence on both employee and customer engagement. Being part of a respected organisation builds pride, commitment and a sense of community and when your people feel good they will make your customers feel good. So make customer service everyone’s responsibility;
- ensure everyone understands their role in delivering customer service from answering the telephone by the third ring to asking for and using customer names, from the protocol for chasing late payment to asking customers for feedback.
- give employees the responsibility for investigating and responding to customer feedback and complaints
- introduce your people to your customers; send your employees out on visits to customers
CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Be positive and forward looking. Communicate progress and share achievements and success. A positive approach, like smiling and sneezing, is contagious and creates momentum, a sense of pride and belonging. How about compiling a ‘year book’ summarising your activities, progress and achievements, include photographs, personal stories and anecdotes about each of your employees, feedback from your customers and your objectives and aims for the next 12 months. This could be a lasting memento of the previous year and a great way to build energy and commitment for the next 12 months.
Details of Engage for Success can be found at www.engageforsucces.org