Walking the Talk:How to Make Employee Engagement a Reality,

not a Buzzword!2011 Iowa Bankers Association

Human Resources ConferenceApril 19, 2011

Define and identify the elements of engaged and high performance work organizations

Examine the performance metrics used to assess employee engagement

Discuss practical tips to ensure management is part of the solution, not part of the problem

Describe obstacles to creating and sustaining high levels of employee engagement

Recommend actions to overcome barriers and stay on track

Learning Objectives

Respond “agree” or “disagree” to the statements located on Page 1.

Compare your responses with your colleagues – who and where are the best practices?

Who’s Here?

An employee’s decision to apply his discretionary effort to the goals of the enterprise, to accept those goals as his own and wholeheartedly commit to achieving them. (Fineman and Carter, 2007)

Employee Engagement Defined

Engaged• Passionate• Positive Advocates• Strong Connection

Disengaged

• Putting in the time• Lacking energy and passion

• Not going the extra mile

Actively Disengage

d

• Acting out their unhappiness

• Undermine what engaged workers accomplish

• Scare away customers and colleagues

Why employee engagement matters?

Going Up◦Profitability◦Productivity◦Customer loyalty◦Innovation and

creativity◦Teamwork◦Employee

retention◦Quality

Going Down◦Absenteeism◦Workman’s

compensation claims

◦Turnover◦Employee theft◦Accidents◦Tardiness◦Conflicts between

employees

Trivia Question

What corporation in the United States had the highest return on investment to shareholders over the 30 year time span from 1976-2006?

Southwest Airlines!

What drives employee engagement?

Review the various research identified on Page 3. With your colleagues, identify what you believe to

be the top six drivers of engagement for employees in your organization.

Do the drivers change? If yes, how?

Senior Leadership◦ Renew the employee-

employer contract◦ Increased transparency

and communication◦ Act with integrity and build

trust◦ Provide for job growth ◦ More training and

development ◦ Involvement and autonomy◦ Create a culture of

accountability

Middle/Front Line Managers◦ Clear expectations◦ Resources and information◦ Meaningful recognition◦ Connect as people◦ Team facilitation◦ Make time◦ Build on strengths,

manage around weaknesses

◦ Coaching and mentoring

Manager’s Matter!

Practical Tips for Managers

Onboarding experience Clear lines of sight or alignment Feedback and communication Feeling of community Opportunities for job advancement Commitment to developing the employee

Treating professionals like professionals

Top 15 Ways to Engage Your Workforce (Workforce Management, 2011)

Compensation Genuine investment in people Shared purpose Relationship with peers Leadership! Career development Empowerment Company image

Top 15 Ways to Engage Your Workforce (Workforce Management, 2011)

Perform engagement surveys annually

Create an “index” Link results to business

outcomes Timely results and clear action

plans established Follow up on action plans –

pulse survey Ensure senior leadership is

held accountable for results

Critical Success Factors for Measuring Employee Engagement

Compensation Factors

Employee Satisfac-tionEmployee GrowthAttrition/RetentionInternal HiringTrainingDiversity

Which of the following people/HR metrics are built into the compensation plan for the leadership team at your business entity? (APQC-2009)

www.apqc.org/studies/engagingkeytalent09

Put people first Be diligent when hiring

managers Identify and eliminate

mixed signals Hold managers accountable

for engagement Offer training and education

– benchmark “best in class” Be willing to change

Overcoming Obstacles and Barriers

www.workforce.com www.apqc.org www.talentkeepers.com www.gettingtheedge.net

Websites to Check Out!

What will your next step be?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step forward.

What will your next step be?