Asking your Human Resources (HR) team to lead employee
engagement (EE) is a mistake. On the
surface, it may appear that EE is a very human- driven endeavor, but ask
yourself one simple question: what business objective is motivating your desire
to have an EE effort?
The primary motivation for most EE initiatives is to engage
the workforce in the execution of the company’s business. Leaders are seeking greater effort from its
employees aligned with the objectives of the organization. I would submit therefore if the objective of
your EE effort is improved execution, then the place to start is strategy, not
HR. Let me explain.
First, some believe the outcome of an EE effort is to
improve employee morale and general happiness.
However, both morale and happiness are intrinsic qualities that are
difficult to quantify and even more difficult to develop. Satisfaction may be a better attribute to
pursue, but even it has limitations. Too
many EE initiatives I’ve reviewed are focused too much on trying to get
employees to “feel good” about their jobs and the company. But what good is a group of excited employees
if their energy isn’t directed toward a common purpose? An energized employee without a clear purpose
is a waste. Worst, it’s unsustainable
and the company will have wasted its time and money getting employees spun up
over nothing.
Second, what most organizations need in EE is to motivate
change consistent with the strategic direction of the company. Often, that change can run counter to
standing HR policies and procedures. I’m
not talking about legal constraints.
What I’m referring to is roles, responsibilities, and performance
expectations. If HR leads your EE effort
there will often be an inherent conflict of interest where the very policies
meant to “protect” the company are impediments to progress. Keep in mind that the primary function of HR
is talent acquisition and management, compliance, and protecting the company’s interests. When push comes to shove, HR will err on the
side of guarding the company’s interests, not those of employees – that’s their
job.
EE should create a healthy tension between talent management, HR , and the strategic trajectory of the company. Therefore, leaders serious about creating a
culture of engagement should consider asking their strategic development team
to lead the effort. Engagement should
seek alignment between strategic intent and employee action. An EE effort grounded in the company’s
strategy will generate far greater returns than one designed to try and make
employees feel good. What employees want
more than happiness on the job is to feel valued.
They want to know that the work they do has purpose and is being recognized
as contributing to the goals of the organization.
If you’re contemplating an increased effort on EE, I would
challenge you to ask yourself the following questions?
1.
How aligned is your workforce with the strategic
intent of the company?
2.
Do your employees have a clear line of sight
between the overall strategy and the work they perform?
3.
How well does your leadership and the management
team communicate and translate strategy?
4.
Would your employees view the strategy as
relevant to the work they do?
5.
Is there a common sense of purpose and direction
throughout the organization?
Honest answers to these questions can help you get a handle
on how well aligned or how misaligned you are.
These create insight that should guide your EE efforts. What you notice about these questions is none
of them are rooted in an HR perspective. If your objective is to improve EE in order to improve results,
then treat it as a strategic imperative.
Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action, a strategy
execution specialist at the intersection of employee engagement and executive
leadership, igniting innovation as a lever to accelerate your growth. Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and
connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+. Learn more by visiting
www.connect2action.com.
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