The first and vital action is to share the results of your engagement survey with the Senior Leadership Team. They must own the findings and be willing to commit to follow up action. Without that, very little will result.
We have found that when a senior team takes ownership of the results of engagement surveys and its members commit both individually and collectively to a coherent response, there are invariably positive outcomes.
The first step in all cases must be to review the feedback in detail and to highlight the priorities. Agree (in conjunction with the survey analysis) what seem to be the key drivers of engagement, in your business - for example
- Availability of adequate equipment and other resources - including time
- Effective internal communication
- A strong teamwork culture and commitment to mutual support
- Supportive, facilitative managers who encourage and give positive feedback for good performance
- Longer term career development opportunities
- High levels of trust in the organisation and its leaders who work hard to stay visible and in touch with employee opinion
- Pride in the services and products they deliver to customers
What needs to happen next? In the businesses we know, engagement has become a way of life for every manager. For example, management meetings - at all levels – usually have some aspect of engagement on the agenda. The subject is discussed constantly: how it's changing, what is being done to improve it, the results and the benefits. They talk about engagement related issues with their people. They ask how they're feeling and what support they need to improve the performance of the business. Engaging people has become a core competency of these organisations.
The CEOs make it their personal business constantly to ask employees what they can do to support them better. When engagement survey results are published they usually chair senior management workshops on the subject and often visit department / business unit feedback sessions too. They commit publicly to specific measures. And details of progress are published. People LIKE the fact that they're part of an engaged workforce. So the whole process becomes self reinforcing.
So engagement isn't something they do when they have time, or something they delegate to HR. It's in their blood. The engagement scores are mirrored in the bottom line financial results. No magic wand, just dedication and commitment to the belief that engagement matters.
Ultimately, they share a belief that as organisational leaders they are the facilitators, not the directors of change. Engagement isn't something they work on when they have time, or something they delegate to HR. It's in their blood. The engagement scores are mirrored in the bottom line financial results. No magic wand, just dedication and commitment to the belief that engagement matters.