{"id":733,"date":"2018-02-22T15:28:30","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T15:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/?p=733"},"modified":"2018-02-22T18:05:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T18:05:16","slug":"employee-engagement-matters-bring-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/employee-engagement-matters-bring-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Employee Engagement Matters and How to Bring it Back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/deliberatepractice.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/customer-employee-engagement.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies show<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that organizations with high levels of engagement have happier employees, happier, more loyal customers, and more profitable businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many companies are interested in increasing engagement for these reasons and more, but questions remain.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you build a culture that encourages employees to become more engaged?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can employers do it on their own?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t employees also need to shoulder some of the responsibility?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increasing employee engagement isn\u2019t easy, but it can be done.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Start with the research<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bain.com\/publications\/articles\/whos-responsible-for-employee-engagement.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bain and Company found some pretty fascinating information<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about who has the lowest levels of employee engagement. A few poignant findings:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Finding #1: As tenure increases, engagement levels decrease. <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problem: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those with the most knowledge and experience are actually becoming less engaged.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Finding #2: Lower level employees have lower levels of engagement.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problem: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High level management may be out of touch with employee morale on the front lines.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Finding #3: Engagement levels are lowest for sales and service people.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BIG Problem: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are the same individuals who are most likely to interact with your customers!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These findings are worrisome for obvious reasons, including employees who get less work done, don\u2019t support the company vision, and\/or spread their discontent to fellow employees and customers. And that\u2019s not even considering the cost of higher turnover!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Uh oh. Now what?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As an employer, there are ways you can effectively work to engage employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open, communicative environments are the best places to start. Having honest conversations with all levels of staff about what they like about working for you (and what things they would change) can get you on the right track\u2014 if you are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a.) open to hearing what they have to say <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> b.) willing to make some changes.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But can you do it alone? Aren\u2019t your employees partially responsible?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is, toxic work environments take a toll on both sides. There\u2019s no question that managers and employees have both been burned by practices that have created an employer vs. worker mindset, with each side feeling like the other doesn\u2019t have their best interests at heart. But when it comes to repairing the damage, it\u2019s employers who have the upper hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The balance of power<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the top reasons employees say they are unhappy at work is because they have little to no control over their tasks, processes, and outcomes. Many of them are afraid to speak up, or have stopped doing so after trying too many times with poor results. Asking these folks to build a better culture isn\u2019t going to get you very far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because you hold the cards, you have the challenge (and the pleasure) of changing the game. And of convincing your employees they want to be part of the new culture and team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to get both sides playing nicely and striving toward the same goal, your employees will need to have an open mind, speak up, and also be willing to make some changes. So how do you get them to do their part?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Rekindle the Love<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At some point, each and every one of your employees was a brand new hire, thrilled to have gotten a job with your company. They showed up that first day willing to give their best\u2014 and expecting great things from you. At the same time, you were excited about the talent and potential they were bringing with them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about your culture change as a commitment to re-hiring all of those awesome new people again. Find out what specifically made them choose you, what things may have gone wrong, and how you can work together to bring back that new job excitement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Start Where You Are<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Openly acknowledge that things aren\u2019t where you want them to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Don\u2019t be vague. Address specific signs of discontent and policies or events you believe have negatively affected your team. Admit that you can do better, and commit to doing just that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sincerity is very important here. If this message is delivered in an impersonal way, it won\u2019t be convincing. Your employees will be skeptical, and rightfully so.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Listen. And Be Patient.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employee feedback is critical to this process.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employers and staff are often oceans apart on what they believe to be the key issues causing disengagement. Openly talking about these things is the only way to find out what\u2019s really going on. Realize that this tactic may not bear fruit immediately, as your employees may be afraid to speak out or be honest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Commit to a long-term plan that incorporates several different tactics for information gathering. A mix of focus groups, surveys, and one-on-one conversations will allow for various types of people to communicate in ways that are comfortable to them. It also shows your team this isn\u2019t just a corporate whim, that you value their input, and you are genuinely interested in improving.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Follow Through<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talk without change is just that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want your employees to put their faith in you, you will have to actually deliver. Make sure something tangible happens relatively quickly. This will ignite the spark of hope in your most optimistic players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you continue to make changes and clearly communicate why and how they are taking place, others will begin to jump back on the trust bandwagon. Over time, those who don\u2019t believe in the new culture you are creating will eventually select themselves out. That\u2019s okay. Sometimes following through means letting go of things that run counter to your new purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Stay Committed<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A culture of engagement won\u2019t magically appear overnight, and achieving it doesn\u2019t mean it will be easy to maintain. But it can be done.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve settled on your new vision, share it with the team and stick with it. Your future is yours to create\u2014 one step, and one employee, at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running into challenges with employee engagement, turnover, and retention? At Sonus Benefits, we\u2019ve got ideas to help you address these issues and more. Get in touch with Sonus to see how we can help your organization become a local employer of choice.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Studies show that organizations with high levels of engagement have happier employees, happier, more loyal customers, and more profitable businesses. Many companies are interested in increasing engagement for these reasons and more, but questions remain. How do you build a culture that encourages employees to become more engaged? Can employers do it on their own?&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why Employee Engagement Matters and How to Bring it Back - Sonus Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sonusbenefits.com\/employee-engagement-matters-bring-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Employee Engagement Matters and How to Bring it Back - Sonus Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Studies show that organizations with high levels of engagement have happier employees, happier, more loyal customers, and more profitable businesses. 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