Fishburn Hedges

14.04.2011

In all the debate, and (let’s face it) some of the jargon that surrounds employee engagement, there is a fundamental truth that is sometimes obscured: it’s all about relationships.

The way in which leaders connect with their people, and managers connect with their teams, shapes common purpose, commitment and individual performance.

The structure and science around employee engagement as a topic is all designed to strengthen those relationships in ways that will support business goals.

I was reminded of this (and it’s always a helpful reminder to receive) when reading news of recent research from Gallup. This project, involving feedback from over 47,000 employees in 116 countries, explored key components of engagement and their effectiveness. And two statements that received consistently poor feedback were “In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work” and “In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress”.

You can view an article summarising key themes from the research here.

I do think this is really interesting: other areas of the research highlight how, in general, organisations are managing the practical components of engagement very well. So respondents to the survey generally felt that they understood what was expected of them at work and that they had the tools and materials to put it into practice. But these are, frankly, ‘hygiene factors’; if employers can’t get these basics right, then they might as well give up.

More surprising is that employers seem to be failing at establishing strong personal relationships. And those personal touches really matter. Just think about it: we all feel slightly better about ourselves, and our jobs, if management tells us we’ve done something well. And I bet you, just like me, welcome feedback from colleagues as it can only help improve your work (and what you get out of work).

But Gallup’s research suggests managers just aren’t getting it. They aren’t making the effort to work with their people on a personal level. They aren’t helping those individuals understand what they’re doing well and what they need to improve. And this can only hinder their engagement and their performance at work. 

Strange. It doesn’t take long to say “thank you” or “well done”. And it’s in a manager’s own interest to give employees feedback that help them improve. But it seems they are just not making the time (or maybe avoiding it altogether).

I hope managers who read this research make a quick decision to change their ways. They’re only harming their team, and their organisation, if they don’t.

 

Posted by: Paul Sweetman