Category: employee engagement

too long

How long before you realize you’ve made a hiring mistake? The short answer is, always too late.

Very successful businesses and their employees have made costly hiring mistakes, and some are willing to admit it, but how long does it take for the company to recognize a bad hire? How long does it take for the employee to realize?

According to research, one out of two employees is looking for a new job within the first year of employment due to a mismatch in expectations. In a commercial context that would translate to, what I’ve been sold, is not what I’ve been promised.

Imagine how much money companies could save, and at the same time, how much well-being could be boosted if hiring mismatches were to be avoided up-front.

satisfied but not engaged

Satisfied employees are not necessarily engaged employees. Vice versa, engaged employees are not necessarily satisfied employees.

Satisfied employees could be happy with their paychecks, the fact that the company is close to where they live, and enjoy their colleagues’ company. Even satisfied employees could be mentally disconnected from their job, while doing the bare minimum. Meaning satisfied employees aren’t necessarily engaged with their actual job, hence less productive.

Inversely, employees who are engaged with their job could be dissatisfied with the company, their managers, and their salary.

Ideally, satisfied employees are engaged, and vice versa. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

vital

Nurses play a critical role in healthcare and the well-being of patients. For them to perform optimally, it is essential that they feel engaged and valued in their workplace.

Employee engagement is more than just job satisfaction; it drives increased productivity, better patient outcomes, and a more positive work environment. Investing in nurses’ engagement will not only benefit them, but the hospital as a whole.

Showing appreciation and commitment to nurses by fostering an environment that values their contributions, supports their growth, and recognizes their efforts is potentially one of the best ways to decrease patients’ mortality rates.

primary job

Human resources professionals’ primary job is to create career development perspectives and opportunities. Recently, I heard Howard Schultz, longtime CEO of Starbucks, say this. Below, I’ll try to create insight into how this could be achieved, through 10 pointers, taking into account the potential pitfalls.

  1. Offer training and development programs, such as workshops, classes, and mentoring.
  2. Create clear career progression paths within the company.
  3. Encourage employees to take on additional responsibilities and stretch assignments.
  4. Provide opportunities for employees to work on cross-functional teams or projects.
  5. Offer tuition reimbursement or other educational assistance.
  6. Facilitate networking opportunities with other professionals in the company or industry.
  7. Offer leadership development programs.
  8. Provide regular feedback and coaching.
  9. Encourage employees to set career development goals and track progress.
  10. Be open to flexible work arrangements and remote working opportunities.

All these initiatives rely on insight and a clear understanding of the employee’s skills — both hard and soft — and professional expectations. Without this, you’re flying blind.

Many companies believe they’re performing well on people analytics, but in reality, many valuable insights are still missing.

half gone

Nearly 48% of white-collar workers in Belgium are open to a new job within the next six months, a reflection of the growing dissatisfaction with their current job and its related responsibilities. This lack of engagement and commitment to their current job can have a detrimental effect on productivity, as many employees may be subconsciously scaling back on their responsibilities or even mentally dropping out.

This readiness on the part of employees to move on can be a major concern for employers, as it not only means reduced productivity but also creates uncertainty, as it can be hard to tell which employees are interested in leaving and which aren’t. Having nearly half of your employees wanting to leave is serious, without question.

Not knowing which half is even more dramatic.

ruin your brand

Bad news travels far swiftly. Almost three-quarters (72%) of job seekers say they share negative experiences with companies where they apply online.

Offering a bad experience to potential candidates is, by and large a surefire way to drive your employer brand into the ground.

What’s worse, some initiatives are so simple to implement. So simple, in fact, that it’d be a shame not to do it.

React. A simple message to acknowledge that the candidacy has been received successfully goes a long way. If at all possible, including the typical response time in that message makes a huge difference.

Image ordering online, checking out without any indication whatsoever regarding delivery. How many customers would purchase again with that same company, or leave an enthusiastic review?

one rule

There is one crucial rule Elon Musk forgot about or deliberately chose to disregard.

Recently, some news outlets reported that Musk told Twitter employees they should expect 80-hour workweeks, no more free food, and some other arguably hostile announcements.

Whether it’s personal – or professional relationships, seduction generally works better than coercion.

Maybe, by exemplary leadership alongside creating a culture so good, that people don’t mind working double shifts, employees would automatically choose to go the extra mile.

Maybe, similar to the trend we’re seeing in Silicon Valley at the moment, it’s a (rather harsh) way of letting people go. Threatening them with a bad time could cause employees to pack up and go.

invisible

The notorious double q, “quiet quitting,” isn’t a new phenomenon. What has, however, changed drastically recently is its visibility.

Almost three centuries ago, workers on assembly lines would have people hovering over them while the latter watched the workers and their productivity levels.

Today, Corona has accelerated and increased working-from-home initiatives. Making employees’ productivity, or lack thereof, much less visible.

At the risk of introducing a communistic undertone, Lenin once said, “Trust, but verify.” Without proper initiatives to check in with employees, the risk of them sliding into quiet quitting mode is substantial.

Those initiatives should be tailor-made and personalized. Small talk just won’t cut it. Apply a (scientifically sound) model to measure employee engagement to get ahead of the dreaded double q.

logic shift

Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson once went on a camping trip. After dinner with a bottle of wine, they call it a night. A little later, Holmes wakes up and immediately wakes up his trusted friend.

“Watson, look at the sky. What do you see?”

“I see millions of stars, Holmes,” Watson replied.

“So what do deduce from that?”

“Well, astronomically, we can deduce that there are millions of galaxies and planets. Astrologically, I see that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically it tells me that the time is about a quarter past three. Meteorologically we will have a nice day tomorrow. Theologically, I see that God is mighty and that we are a little and inconsequential part of the universe. What do you see, Holmes?”

Holmes remains silent for a moment. “Watson; this is one of those important moments where we must apply logic. Don’t you see? Someone has stolen our tent!”

We could write books, jampacked with theory around the difficulties in recruiting human resources. Until we deduce that candidates hired leave within the first year. Hiring talent through the front door while the back door remains open isn’t sustainable.

Sometimes we must apply logic and shift perspective.
Retaining talent isn’t enough. Talent remaining onboard against their better judgment isn’t beneficial to either the talent or the employer.
Retention, built on top of engagement, that’s where it’s at.

quiet quitting

Newsflash. Quiet quitting has been around for years. The term might be new, but the phenomenon, unfortunately, isn’t.

In 2016, 50% of employees were looking for another job within the first year of employment. Before the so-called “Great Reset,” only a small percentage actually followed through and changed jobs. The remaining people felt stuck in their jobs, unmotivated, and often actively disengaged.

The cumulative loss in productivity, profits, and personal well-being is straight-up bad.

Identifying which employees are motivated — and to what extent is — possible. The results could be used for job crafting, internal mobility, coaching, and much more.

Currently, those insights are rarely generated, let alone applied. Companies are often forced to react when it’s too late. The potential gains of mapping employee engagement proactively are enormous.