Seven Secrets to Employee Engagement (Hint: It’s NOT about the Benjamins)

If you’ve seen the movie Jerry Maguire, you’ll remember the scene where Tom Cruise asks Cuba Gooding, Jr., “What can I do for you?” Gooding says, “Show me the money.”

Many employers think that’s the key to employee engagement. But any company that THINKS you have to pour money on employees to get them engaged will write off employee engagement efforts during tough economic times. “We just can’t afford to do it right now,” they say.

Thank God It’s Monday!: How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love by Roxanne Emmerich   Thank God It’s Monday! is about loving what you’re doing and creating massive results. Roxanne Emmerich introduces you to two CEOs: one desperately struggling to stay afloat and another who’s discovered a better route to growth and profitability. As you join them both on their journey, you’ll gain valuable insights for jump-starting positive change from anywhere in the organization… replacing dysfunctional organizational behaviors with passion and creativity… overcoming setbacks… making vision and values actually work! Whether you’re on the front line, in an office, or running the show, you’ll see how to: Replace dysfunctional behaviors with passion and creativity Overcome setbacks with a “bring it on” attitude Breathe results-generating life into vision and values Think big and make big things happen Thank God It’s Monday! presents a unique approach that makes an impact on three groups at once: Employees discover how to win at work and love their work Companies turn around results quickly and profoundly Customers experience a powerful and visible commitment to their success You will shift from a “why we can’t” to a “how we can” workplace – in one day! Your customers will go crazy about you. You will find yourself loving to go to work where everyone exclaims, Thank God It’s Monday!

In fact, you can’t afford NOT to pay attention to engagement, especially when the wind is howling outside. Employee engagement scores regularly account for up to 50 percent of the variance in customer service scores. A disengaged employee can cost you 30 TIMES as much in safety-related incidents. And disengaged employees are over 85 percent more likely to leave.

A 2006 study by the Gallup Management Journal found that engaged employees make up an average 29 percent of a company’s workforce, leaving a startling 71 percent who are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged.” (Cue offstage scream.)

Engagement comes not from dollars but from more personal factors. Here are seven things that will help your employees stay engaged for the long term:

1. An employer who cares enough to listen. The best way to know what your employees need and expect is to ask them – and to listen carefully to their answers.
2. Clear, consistent expectations. Vague policies and unclear expectations can make employees feel irritated, unsafe, even paranoid. And yes, disengaged. They click into survival mode instead of focusing on how to help the company succeed.
3. A sense of the importance of their work. This has a greater impact on loyalty and customer service than all other factors COMBINED.
4. Opportunities for advancement. The chance to work your way up the ladder is a tremendous incentive for productivity, bonding, and engagement.
5. Good relationships with others in the workplace especially the supervisor. If that relationship is toxic, you can forget about asking the employee to put his shoulder to the wheel for the company.
6. Regular feedback. If you want to keep them moving forward, give employees the occasional rudder report. And don’t forget positive feedback, which should ideally outnumber the negative by about 5 to 1.
7. Celebration and rewards for success. Set realistic targets, then reward and celebrate when they are reached. And don’t wait for the end of a big project to celebrate. Pick landmarks along the way and go nuts when you hit them.

Moving from “The Company” to “Our Company”
The heart and soul of engagement is ownership. As long as your employees feel they are working to help YOU make YOUR company succeed, engagement will be low. Once you get them to see themselves as partners in the endeavor – making decisions, staying informed, sharing in the company’s ups and downs – everything changes. Engagement soars.

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday!: How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestseller. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures in a day. Listen to the free 60-second audio with teammates each Monday to clean up the craziness in your workplace and focus on getting massive results. Sign up today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

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3. StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 18 – An Interview with Roxanne Emmerich, author of Thank God It’s Monday!
4. Management and Leadership – Coaching for Exceptional Performance
5. Management and Leadership Best Practice 1 – Open, Honest, Timely Communications during Times of Uncertainty