When we talk about employee engagement, we are often told: “My employees are very happy!”
The trouble is just because your employees are happy doesn’t mean they’re engaged and committed to your business.
Their happiness may be because they really like their work colleagues. Maybe there is a great atmosphere in the office or they feel they can have fun while doing their job.
Of course, the problem with that is when the dynamic changes – maybe somebody leaves or a new manager starts, for example.
So, if you’re thinking of running a survey to measure your employees’ feedback by asking them how happy they are, it’s not going to cut the mustard on its own.
If you start adding in questions about how they rate the relationship they have with their colleagues and how fulfilled they are in their job, you start to get a better picture.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say you will know the kind of impact moving staff around is likely to have on specific departments based on the results of this meaningful survey.
And talking of moving people around…
When your team are engaged they will look at change as something to embrace. They will trust you and believe it is for their benefit as well as for the company.
And indeed, why wouldn’t it be?
Moving people to different departments can be very effective personal development and be integrated into performance management plans, grooming your rising stars for their next role on the ladder.
Career growth is a key part of employee engagement. I would go so far as to say it is an essential part.
Whilst pay and perks like free lunches or gym membership might be nice to haves, they aren’t going to drive engagement. Remember the message I have given in the past about how quickly the novelty of that wears off.
Building in regular recognition and feedback, giving people a chance to have their say, trusting people to get on and do their job are all far more likely to lead to an engaged workforce.