“Employee engagement” is a much buzzed about key phrase in the modern workplace. Gallup, Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review all have opinions about it. Engagement does not refer to happiness, nor does it refer to entitlement. It isn’t hippy dippy, hocus pocus, feel-good mumbo jumbo (though there’s nothing wrong with that). I enjoy this rather straightforward definition from Forbes: engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals.
I’m a big believer in employee engagement because it is my own truth.
Looking back at my career, when I haven’t felt engaged, my employer’s profitability certainly wasn’t my concern. I was never a slacker, but I also didn’t work over lunch, complete tasks on Saturdays, or use any discretionary effort to my employer’s advantage. I regularly listened to one extra song on the radio before getting out of the car in the mornings.
In scenarios where I was engaged, I felt committed to the organization and the people in it. I re-launched a mentorship program and then became a mentor myself. I presented my own intellectual property at conferences on behalf of my organization. First-time clients became repeat clients, and it is no mystery why. I took my work, and the successes of the organization, personally.
We all want a workforce that puts in the little extra effort to make the difference, that keeps the needs of the organization top of mind. We want better margins, lower turnover, and tighter teamwork. But how do we facilitate engagement? It is really just about human connection–prioritizing focus on the people who do the stuff.
[GROSS GENERALIZATION ALERT!] Everyone wants to care about the work we do and where we do it, and when that happens, we are engaged.
Where do you start? When it comes to engagement, you don’t want it to feel like an insincere or unnatural initiative. It’s important that you have a good read on the culture of your organization so that engagement isn’t seen as trivial or checking some box. We’re here to help! If you have an intranet already in place–and we really believe you should–here are three of Rogue’s favorite easy-to-implement apps for increasing engagement:
- Create a survey to get employee feedback. You could even put employee engagement surveys up on your intranet.
- Use your intranet blog to feature stories about teamwork, a specific accomplishment of an employee, or posts created by and about employees.
- Add a peer-praise discussion board for employees to share kudos for their cohorts.
As for the effectiveness of an engaged workforce, Rogue knows of what we speak. Every day, we are a cliche: we live and breathe our commitment to our clients. Our mission is to make I.T. your business by leveraging SharePoint to streamline communication, content, and collaboration. What better platform for engagement than one you’re already invested in with O365? If you don’t have an intranet today, you can have one in a week. If it’s ugly, we can help. If no one uses it, we can help. Give us a shot. Go Rogue.
Thanks for reading!
M
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