The future of employee engagement

Engage for Success special interest group

Collection of thought pieces: www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/research/future-engagement.aspx

Part 1: Contextual

'Worker in bottle factory, 2000', Seattle Municipal Archives, cropped. Published in Creative Commonshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/2710933334/in/photostream/

Encouraging findings from WERS … (Workplace Employment Relations Study)

Source:

Dromey (2014) ‘MacLeod and Clarke’s Concept of Employee Engagement: An Analysis based on the Workplace Employment Relations Study.’

Available at www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/7/6/08140-MacLeod-Clarkes-Concept-of-Employee-Engagement.pdf

“I share the values of my organisation”

55% 65%

Good relations between managers and employees

61% 64%

Managers deal with employees honestly

55% 58%

Satisfied with ability to influence decision-making

40% 43%

Get a sense of achievement from work

71% 74%

Feel loyal towards the organisation

70% 75%

Happy days!

Ann Fisher - Friendly and helpful CTA employees. Published on Creative Commons www.flickr.com/photos/yooperann/5376756346

But a more mixed picture from SES(Skills and Employment Survey) …

Sources:

• Job-related Well-being in Britain

• Job Control in Britain

In the series First Findings from the Skills and Employment Survey 2012 available at www.cardiff.ac.uk/socsi/ses2012/

Skills and Employment Survey

More shifts, 2006 to 2012…

Work intensification:

• More high pressure jobs

• More high speed jobs

Mixed picture for employee influence:

• Individual task discretion unchanged

• Decline in influence over organisational decisions

Skills and Employment Survey

My job is secure

My job requires I work very hard

10 15 20 25 30 35

20042011

Intensification & security (WERS)

Happy days?

Notice to all employees (memo) by Kevin Lim. Published on Creative Commons www.flickr.com/photos/inju/3382984128

Sustainable engagement

www.cipd.co.uk/publicpolicy/policy-reports/engagement-behavioural-framework.aspx

Questions, questions…

• Are we getting better at fostering employee engagement?

• Are employers asking too much of employees?

• Is ‘engagement’ a ruse to increase pressure?

Part 2: Conceptual (& measures)

'Equilibrium: force' by Felipe Gabaldón, cropped. Published in Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/felipe_gabaldon/3752507142

Fundamentally different perspectives?

Academic researchers HR practitioners

Practical results

Behaviour

Focus on strategies

Looser definitions

Theoretical explanation

Psychological state

Focus on the individual

Precise definitions

Academic vs. Practitioner Measures

• Most academic researchers use Schaufeli et al’s Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)

• This focuses on work engagement, and has three dimensions: vigour, dedication and absorption

• Based on the job demands-resources model• Sees engagement as the opposite of burn-out

• Practitioners use a variety of commercially-available products (or devise their own) to measure engagement with the organisation, eg

• Gallup’s Q12• Aon Hewitt’s say, stay, strive• Net Promoter• IES’s engagement measure• Civil Service People Survey• NHS staff survey

An ‘engagement deficit’?

Engaged Neutral Disengaged0

10

20

30

40

50

60

37%60%

3%

What’s your cut-off point?

What does a 5% rise mean?

‘There’s 3 types of people in the world…’

Helping build the wall

•Work with passion•Identify with the organisation

Sat on the wall

•Checked out zombies•Lazing around

Knocking down the wall

•Miserable naysayers•Undermine•SabotageNot that

simple!

Commitment The extra mile Support Recognition Voice Empowerment Playing to strengths

Purpose Meaning Passion Well-being Energy!

Alignment Collaboration Shared values Trust

A rose by any other name…?

But are your engagement metrics like…?

Potpourri, by Garry Knight. Published on Creative Commons www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/3385578984

Questions, questions…

• (How) do you talk about employee engagement in your organisation?

• Does it matter there are different perspectives?

• How should we be measuring engagement?

Part 3: Practical

‘The conversation’ by Andrew Polandeze, cropped. Published in Creative Commonshttps://www.flickr.com/photos/71297346@N00/1206596658

Voice – the forgotten pillar?

Voice – the forgotten pillar?

MacLeod & Clarke on voice:

“employees’ views are sought out; they are listened to and see that their opinions count and make a difference. They speak out and challenge when appropriate. A strong sense of listening and of responsiveness permeates the organisation, enabling effective communication.”www.engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/file52215.pdf

The rise of enterprise social networks

www.cipd.co.uk/socialtech

@simonheath1

A more engaging conversation

Sterling College (2012) Discussing Presidential Candidates – published on Creative Commons

Lead the way

Trendsetter, Eric Parker, published on Creative Commons www.flickr.com/photos/ericparker/4558361297

Meaningful work

Tattooed carpenter, Photo by Michelle Ress licensed on Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/safoocat/8540758992/

Empowering management A sign of the future … or the past?

Photo by unexxx licensed on Creative Commons www.flickr.com

Tell, brainwash or empower? How far have we really come?

Questions, questions…

• Are we serious about giving employees a voice? What gets in the way of their voices being heard?

• Are managers getting any less controlling, any more empowering?

Complex but a simple philosophy

The good of the

employee

•Feel looked after•Feel valued•Job plays to strengths•Interesting work•Autonomy & involvement in decisions•Meaning & purpose

The good of the

organisation

•Pride •Commitment •Understand strategy•Line of sight from job to orgl objectives•Purpose aligned with the organisation

Thanks for listening

@jonnygiff