Perry Timms writes on social HR and asks the questions we should all we asking about the workplace. He has over 20 years experience in business change including project management, organisational development, talent strategy and L&D. He is well-known on the blogger and event circuit and is regularly asked to chair conferences, roundtables and webinars, both in the UK and around Europe. Perry is a CIPD adviser on social media and engagement.
We’ve been around this loop many times.
Organisation: we need to do the right thing. We need to know whether our people feel part of something and we can look at areas to improve our employee value proposition. Engaged employees are more productive ones right? Let’s do an engagement survey and get some scores on the board. We can’t be seen to be behind on this. We want to be an employer of choice don’t we? Even with our 49% turnover. Besides we might get to know what’s causing all this stress at work and absences that are costing us so much.
Employees: oh here they come again with their 105 question online monster where I am SURE they know who says what and are looking to pacify us; outsmart us and just keep us in our place. They never listen and act on what we really want and need anyway. What’s the point. I’m not getting my hopes raised again.
Le sigh.
I know that’s not how it is in every company but generally speaking, it’s a recognisable set of views.
I know and believe in what outfits like Engagement for Success stand for and what people who champion engagement are getting at. People who happen to be employees feeling like they are listened to, thought about and cared for. Then maybe people will do all that added value stuff and there will be a lower attrition rate saving us expensive hiring and skilling outlays. Maybe we will attract the best talent who will power us on to a brighter tomorrow. Perhaps we can truly be an employer of choice known for our employment as much as our commercial brand/reputation?
That’s why I’m going to be talking about this in Oslo in June and urging we move – significantly – from engagement.
It feels way too inert for this socialised world we now live in.
We need to upgrade employee engagement in favour of employee involvement. Not just a trendy fad re-label and social technologies has a huge part to play in this.
My reasoning is probably understood by many of you but I’ll affirm to avoid doubt.
Predominantly, it’s that engagement feels STILL like the passive act of something being done to you. Surveyed. Reported to. Plans shared. Indices produced. Yes there’s some inclusion in working parties; focus groups; action teams and the likes. A little like involving the local kids in the design of a playground only to then let them know the planning permission is too complicated. Raise hopes; engage; connect; let down.
Done to. Discussed. Downplayed. Disappointed.
There’s all sorts of reasons for this lack of take-up of engagement survey feedback – money; time; physical constraints, planned take-over/merger; rebranding work underway; reputation – you name it.
I believe the answer lies in a big shift away from parental surveying to more adult liberation and empowerment.
Don’t engage people mechanically; involve them socially.
Create social space – online or otherwise – for people to talk about what matters in their working for the organisation. Not an online gripes board but a really, truly open space to share. Posting can be anonymous if that helps people do it.
Mine this information; chat, comment and collaborate but most of all don’t take the issue of doing things and introducing new initiatives to tackle problems away from those who suggested it. People whose idea it is to create a new flexible work scheme would probably love to help create and drive it forward.
First thing to do therefore is appoint a mentor/project lead and whatever resources necessary. Act like an investor within and the suggestor becomes an entrepreneur.
How though you might ask? Well your employee involvement can and should start with a social networking platform approach (but can be done through other means) and stretched around:
- asking people what matters – openly not through a lame yearly survey. Encouraging productive and constructive sharing of things that need focus.
- getting people to form interest groups and they discuss and share what matters to those collectives. So all the technical staff; all the mobile staff; all the older staff.
- looking at ideas for new things and suggestions for the improvement of existing things as the same thing: creation of ideation value. We – I am sure – miss out on a ton of innovation in service provision; process improvements; new products whatever it may be. Capturing them; gaining input and support and bringing those ideas into play is what is going to keep us in a competitive place and outrun change.
Make sure there’s fantastic two-way dialogue in all of this. People chatting to each other online and in groups means it not just HR or internal comms but everyone getting involved in conversations that matter.
It is though, a huge shift compared to what we’re used to and people will be suspicious and feel like they have something to lose / be fearful of. After all that’s why Yammer or Jive hasn’t taken off in your organisation right? It may well have struggled because people didn’t know what it was really there for. Maybe try again and relaunch under the Employee Involvement frame. Set it up entirely as an alternative to surveying and bring some activists into the mix and you might just get somewhere.
There will be reluctance though. We’re in a social era but not everyone believes it. We’re in the game of collaboration trumping control – but not everyone believes that either. Those people who have invested in employee engagement won’t want you to move beyond that either.
So maybe ask your employees whether they’d like to be part of:
Socialised involvement or transactional engagement? or better still..
Co-production of your future or sit and watch the struggle for relevance?
EE is about to be taken over. EI is the new game in town. I hope.
