Best practices for employee engagement

IS HERE TO STAY

Unlimited gourmet food, lunchtime massages and an on-site gym may be

nice perks, but they often have little direct effect on employee engagement.

Often companies only think of giving employees more tangible objects in an

effort to retain top-notch talent. But a majority of the time what employees

are looking for isn’t an increased salary or more company benefits — they

want a sense of community, opportunity to grow in their field and a culture

that inspires them to shoot for the stars. It’s time for companies to think

creatively about how to engage employees.

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According to a Gallup poll,

70 percent of employees feel

disengaged at work.

“The war for talent is over, and the talent has won. Essentially

people are looking for a different experience at work.”

— Josh Bersin, principal at Bersin by Deloitte

70%

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Let’s flip the switch and take a stand to make employees feel

more captivated at work.

Here are 8 strategies:

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one-on-one with employees

Employees feel more engaged when managers care about an employee’s work

performance and personal life. Plus by talking to an employee on a regular basis, a

manager can better understand an employee’s interests values and talents.

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When employees feel empowered to think outside the box, they have an increased sense

of control, power and ownership of their work.

Take Google’s intrapreneurship program: The tech company lets employees spend

20 percent of their time on personal projects that advance the company’s mission. 20%

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employees to spearhead a project

Employees that are given the responsibility to own a

project are more likely to put more effort into it and rally

all resources at their disposal to make it the best possible.

Bonus: Managers can discover an employee’s hidden

talents that aren’t used in the current day-to-day job.

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Don’t whisper — scream about successes

Big wins inspire and motivate employees to perform well. Don’t

wait until a scheduled review to talk about a success — make it

known right then and there, and say it loud!

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Help employees

Using skills that they’re best at makes employees feel more capable, competent and

confident. But doing the same thing over and over can get redundant and tedious, so

offer continuous opportunities for employees to develop new skills.

In 2008, 55 percent of U.S. companies invested in cross-training employees to develop

new skills. In 2011, only 43 percent. In 2013, 38 percent, according to the Society for

Human Resource Management.

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to what employees prioritize

Show employees that their thoughts are valued by listening to what matters

most to them and putting those ideas into action, whether it’s being able to

work from home on Fridays or having a company softball team.

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back to the community

Volunteering makes employees feel more invested in their workplace, gives them a

positive view of the company and helps recruit younger generations. Plus, employees can

develop both soft and technical skills by volunteering their expertise.

Need inspiration for where to start? Look to these 3 companies.

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a culture of feedback

Discuss where employees are excelling, as well as opportunities for improvement

or contributions — they’ll likely need training and resources to expand their skills.

Encourage them to always come to you with questions.

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employees are . . .

likely to do

something good for

the company that is

unexpected of them

more likely to make

a recommendation

for an improvement

more likely to

recommend a friend

or relative apply

for a job with their

employer

2x’s 3x’s 6x’s

according to recent research from the Temkin Group

Cornerstone OnDemand is a leader in cloud-based applications for talent management. The company’s solutions help organizations recruit, train,

manage and engage their employees, empowering their people and increasing workforce productivity. Based in Santa Monica, California, the company’s

solutions are used by over 1,700 clients worldwide, spanning more than 14.5 million users across 191 countries and 41 languages. For more information

about Cornerstone, visit csod.com. Read Cornerstone’s blog at csod.com/blog. Follow Cornerstone on Twitter at twitter.com/CornerstoneInc. Like

Cornerstone on Facebook at facebook.com/CSODcommunity.

Learn more at www.csod.com