Why we need to engage with our people?

I interviewed many leaders and staff about the conditions and drivers which engaged them at work. All reported that being trusted with a stretching task within demanding timescales and a clear understanding of the discretion available to them brought the best out in them.

They said that engaged staff:

• are more creative and more productive;

• are constructively critical and challenging of the status quo and seek to initiate change;

• make other people’s change their own;

• will advocate the company, not as robots or brand messengers, but from their own critical perspective;

• in short, enjoy their work and make it enjoyable for colleagues and external parties.

These sound like the sort of people we would all like to have working for us. But is it possible to create the conditions which stimulate these positive outcomes? However, below are the questions that I got mostly from the people whom I provided consultancy.

• Does employee engagement actually result in people feeling good about their work and their organisation? Does it deliver retention of the right people?

• Most crucially, what are the specific causes or drivers of engagement?

• Are these causes or drivers generic to all workplaces?

• Can the causes or drivers of engagement be enhanced to increase engagement? In other words is it actionable?

• Is this enhancement ethical or does this ‘social engineering’ simply achieve greater performance through manipulation?

I hope to leave you with above questions and I will come back and answer them one by one.