The Engagement Equation: Finding the Right Balance (Part 2)

Talent Report+THRIVE

Description: Welcome back to "The Engagement Equation: Finding the Right Balance." In this highly anticipated second segment, we delve deeper into employee engagement and explore practical tools managers and employees can utilize to solve the engagement equation.

Join us as we sit down with Kristie Haase, an esteemed expert in Employee Engagement, as she returns to share invaluable insights and strategies for fostering engagement in the workplace. Through captivating discussions and real-life examples, Kristie guides managers and employees on a transformative journey toward finding the right balance.

Resources:

Employee Engagement

MRA Membership

About MRA

Let's Connect:

Guest Bio - Kriste Haase

Guest LinkedIn Bio - Kristie Haase

Host Bio - Sophie Boler

Host LinkedIn Profile - Sophie Boler

Transcript:

Transcripts are computer generated -- not 100% accurate word-for-word.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:21:03
Unknown
Hello everybody and welcome to 30 minute Thrive, your go to podcast for anything and everything HR, powered by MRA, the Management Association. Looking to stay on top of the ever changing world of HR? MRA has got you covered. We'll be the first to tell you what's hot and what's not. I'm your host, Sophie Boler, and we are so glad you're here.

00:00:21:04 - 00:00:57:03
Unknown
Now it's time to thrive. Hello, everybody, and welcome to this episode. So in an earlier very popular podcast, we talked about employee engagement, the employee engagement equation with our Employee Engagement Survey director Kristi Haase in. At the end of that podcast, I asked Kristie for one piece of advice for employers to find the right balance of engagement. So Kristie recommended that leaders start at the beginning of the process by defining aspects, passions and goals of positions in order to measure employee performance effectively and be a better coach.

00:00:57:05 - 00:01:21:18
Unknown
So we kind of want to expand on employee engagement a bit more today and go deeper into this important topic by focusing on what truly matters most to employees. So we're going to look at two key factors that drive engagement for employees in discuss employers and employees actions for engagement. So just to recap a little bit, Kristie, what does employee engagement really mean?

00:01:21:20 - 00:01:48:20
Unknown
Well, Sophie, first of all, thanks for having me back. Absolutely. Employee engagement, as we talked about in the first podcast, is the extent to which employees are invested in the organization. And when I say invested, I really mean to what degree do they identify with the organization they're in, see themselves as part of the organization and therefore part of the success.

00:01:48:22 - 00:02:17:23
Unknown
So when the organization does well or the department does well, hey, you know that, you know, I contributed to that. And likewise, when it is not going well, they too feel the pain. So they're really a part of the organization for sure. So based on what employee engagement means, why is this important to an organization? It's important for both the employee and the employer, for the organization.

00:02:17:23 - 00:02:48:05
Unknown
And highly engaged employees are the innovators, the contributors for change. They solve problems. They move your organization forward. So they have a lot of momentum. And even in roles that may not require a lot of innovation, engaged employees are great at executing the mission. So if you have people that are really plugged in, they're performing well for you.

00:02:48:07 - 00:03:14:22
Unknown
For employees, as we talked about last time, it's also important employee engagement is because it if you're working for years on end, if you're engaged, you tend to find your work valuable and you feel valued doing so. So it's a a healthier way to work as opposed to really just dreading going to work. Absolutely. So now we've talked about the what in the why.

00:03:15:00 - 00:03:55:00
Unknown
So let's look at the how now. So how do you measure engagement? We talked about this a lot last time. And the the easiest way for an organization overall is to administer a survey. And we talked a little bit about it's important to really create your definition of engagement and design questions that are measuring that particular definition. So, for example, MRA, we talk about the degree to which are invested, but if an organization really considers engagement as being happy, then they're going to need to have a survey that is measuring that.

00:03:55:01 - 00:04:28:18
Unknown
The other ways, though, besides a survey to measure engagement is to watch and listen to people. And that is really the role of a leader to observe how their employees are performing. Do they seem interested? Are they passionate? Do they have high expectations? You know, we show our levels of engagement day to day. So the those are the qualitative measures, but they are just as important or even more important than the quantitative.

00:04:28:19 - 00:04:54:05
Unknown
Yeah, I like that last point on watching your employees when they don't know they're being watched because then they're acting their most natural selves and it's not a pre I don't know my pre thought about survey that they're answering the questions for they're just acting how they would at work. Yeah best time to observe them. It's very true and I know that might sound a little creepy, but it's really not.

00:04:54:05 - 00:05:17:06
Unknown
Maybe I shouldn't have said what? No, it's. It's perfect. I mean, that is one of the most rewarding things for me is when you're watching people working and you're kind of listening, you know, and we're in an open office environment. So not to make this even more creepy, but I listen to it all the time, right? You can hear when people are really working together to solve a problem.

00:05:17:06 - 00:05:42:21
Unknown
I just I was just in my own team and I observed them huddled around together, working on a problem for a survey. They were trying to resolve a scenario and they were really passionate about it. Yeah, And to me that is so rewarding to see because you can tell they're all in. Yeah. As opposed to that same problem could exist.

00:05:42:21 - 00:06:07:02
Unknown
If they didn't care, they'd just be like, You know, why? Just let's just write this and move on. So it's a great point that you made because you really can observe engagement when people don't know. Yeah. And they're just in their day. Exactly. Yeah, that was a great example. So in our last podcast, you talked about how the employer must help engage the employee by sharing the mission and purpose of their role.

00:06:07:04 - 00:06:46:11
Unknown
And so are there other key factors that significantly impact employee engagement besides that? Yes, staying with that leader and employee relationship. A key component is coaching along the way. So the leader, once they have established what the mission is and the importance of the role to give feedback on what the employee is doing well, to give feedback on what they are not doing well, and to say, here's the alternative, you know, as if if this isn't if you're not performing well here, this is what I'd like to see you do differently.

00:06:46:17 - 00:07:17:09
Unknown
So that holistic feedback, giving that frequently is important. It doesn't have to be a formal thing, but just conversations here and there are key to making an employee feel visible and valued. Absolutely. So you also shared some research with us while we were prepping for the episode. That was very interesting. So that is that 75% of employees don't want to quit, but they also do not see a path forward with their current employer.

00:07:17:11 - 00:07:44:12
Unknown
So any comments on this or anything employers can do to kind of change that somehow? Yes, please. I mean, I have to be honest, that's one of the reasons why I really wanted to come back is when I read that article, I was just I was kind of heartbroken. 75% of employee of employees don't want to leave. And, you know, just to to be accurate here.

00:07:44:13 - 00:08:13:02
Unknown
Only 48% of employees see a path for advancement in their company. So when we think about employee engagement and one of the things that is important for people to stay with the company and to stay engaged in the company is the ability to grow in that company, whether it's within the current job that they have to be able to pick up new skills to learn new things for that role.

00:08:13:04 - 00:08:48:05
Unknown
Or maybe employees desire to move into different roles in an organization, whether it's across or up. That ability to grow is what really keeps us where we are. And so 48% of respondents to that particular survey said, I don't see it. And so that lets me know right away, You know, people are now looking at their alternatives. Meanwhile, at MRA, are engagement surveys that we administer for our members the desire to develop to have those development opportunities.

00:08:48:05 - 00:09:17:18
Unknown
That continues over the past ten years to be one of the top requests. So it's not going away, right? It's just really stark to see that your employees are looking. If they can't see an opportunity to grow, they are already looking around for their alternatives, kind of going off of that. The research also suggests another stat that two thirds of employees believe their performance process is a waste of time.

00:09:17:20 - 00:09:49:07
Unknown
So while employers are using this performance process as a measure, the employers no longer really trust that process. So what can employers do to address this concern? Oh, this is also such a painful topic. I've been in H.R. for a long time now, and as as an H.R. manager and an H.R. business partner, that was a top pain point even before I came to me in my current role.

00:09:49:09 - 00:10:15:00
Unknown
The performance management process has is always a controversial process. And if there's one thing that I think we could do better in any organization that we're in is to focus less on the form, what the the form that you have to complete needs or the process of getting it submitted and focused more on the content and the conversation.

00:10:15:05 - 00:10:50:01
Unknown
And to prepare that discussion. I think that when we talked about 48% don't see a way forward in the company and 75% of those who responded don't want to leave their company. I think one of the missing communication pieces is that as leaders, we are not preparing for the conversation with the employee. We're not thinking about the role that they're in and asking really good questions of what do you need in this role?

00:10:50:03 - 00:11:14:06
Unknown
Where do you see the role going next? And I think that if we really thought about what we're asking an employee to do in a position and had a conversation around that, just a conversation, you could document it later. I think a lot of that would would make the the content more real and more useful for both employee and employer.

00:11:14:07 - 00:11:40:23
Unknown
Yeah, that's a great point. I feel like a lot of employees sometimes are just caught up and kind of get this work she done and I got to submit my career progress report. But a lot of people don't have just those sit down conversations that that's what really matters the most. Aren't filling out the form correctly. Or like you said, I never thought about this until I started administering engagement surveys.

00:11:40:23 - 00:12:09:18
Unknown
But, you know, when I when I was an H.R. manager, I thought everybody dreaded the process in terms of getting the feedback. One of the surprising things for me is over the past ten years, there will be times it doesn't happen in every organizations survey, but there are frequent times when employees will say, Can I please have a performance review?

00:12:09:20 - 00:12:34:08
Unknown
And I'm shocked by that. All people really want them. But yes, they do, because they are interested in the company. They signed on. They found the work interesting to some degree. They want to do a good job. And when they're not getting a performance conversation, when they're not talking with their leader, it makes them feel less visible and less important.

00:12:34:08 - 00:13:02:16
Unknown
And so it's a very refreshing point of view for me to see that people really do want to have those conversations. So how the conversation worry about the form after kind of on that note, what what is it that employees really want to what what matters most to them? Well, I know we are complicated as human beings, and so I can't say that there is one thing.

00:13:02:16 - 00:13:28:06
Unknown
But I would say when it comes to working, provided that the pay and benefits are sufficient, you know, we all would like more sit more, pay more benefits. But if it's enough, if we're if we're making enough and if the culture is good, then I think the next thing for most of us as employees is to feel like that we are making a difference.

00:13:28:08 - 00:13:51:02
Unknown
And so if if we as employees are not getting that, because if I think about our first conversation around this, we talked about the employer and the employee side of the equation. If if you're an employee and you feel like you are not getting the feedback that you need or you don't understand your role, I would want you to ask, ask for feedback.

00:13:51:02 - 00:14:15:16
Unknown
Don't wait. But for the employer's side, I really would want you to lead that discussion. Ideally, this is sort of like a dance. The leader leads, but in the absence of that, I do want the employee to speak up and get an understanding of what's the purpose of the role, how am I doing and where can I go next.

00:14:15:18 - 00:14:41:11
Unknown
So kind of looking at the employer side, then how can they help guide employees through the development process? We talked about this a little bit at the end of the last podcast, but we didn't really flesh it out. I mentioned then that a leader needs to understand how or well, first they need to understand what the positions are that are reporting it to them.

00:14:41:11 - 00:15:07:14
Unknown
What's the purpose of those roles? What do they do? So the leader doesn't need to be competent in doing them. It would be great if they have had some experience, but to really be strategic about okay, for the next 12 months for this particular title that I'm leading, this is what I'm going to need. So they they need to then be able to say, Oh, here are the skills that are going to be required.

00:15:07:16 - 00:15:42:18
Unknown
How are my and how are my direct reports performing relative to what is needed? What do I need to give them? So to really think about the architecture of the organization that they're managing and then evaluate the talent, what they see from their direct reports, and also asking what do you think you need in the role? Because a lot of times as a leader, you might think that a person is performing really well, but from their perspective, they may find really don't have the skill to do this.

00:15:42:18 - 00:16:08:20
Unknown
Or if I had this skill, if I knew how to do this, I could save so much time. It's a good point. And so those types of conversations, you know, how are you feeling in this role? What do you think you need? What would you like to learn? Yeah, What do you think could be improved? You're asking the employee to give their input and then the two of you can set your your performance goals and development goals for the upcoming year.

00:16:08:20 - 00:16:35:14
Unknown
And it's a much more collaborative conversation. That's great advice. So wrapping up here, unfortunately, we mentioned this in our last episode, but engagement falls on both the employer in the employee. So what can or should the employee do here as well to increase their engagement pursue? If I could think of one word for the employer side, it's intentional.

00:16:35:16 - 00:17:07:12
Unknown
For the employee, it's pursue. Remember that there was some reason that landed you in this particular organization that you're in and in this particular position that you're in, and you are important in that role. So I think a lot of times individuals don't realize the impact they have on an organization. And I would want each employee to pursue getting what they need in order to be successful in their role.

00:17:07:12 - 00:17:34:04
Unknown
So pursue great ending. Kristie. Thank you all. Thank you again for being on the podcast today and sharing your expertise again on employee engagement. It's very popular topic, so we're glad you could be here again. But to our listeners, if you liked our chat and topic today, I would encourage you to share this episode. Like Common, give it a review and consider joining MRA if you aren't a member already.

00:17:34:06 - 00:17:53:02
Unknown
We have all the resources you need in the show notes below and we also have Kirstie's LinkedIn profile and bio. If you'd like to get in touch with her. The Rise. Thanks for tuning into it again and thank you Kristie for being on the podcast. My pleasure. And that wraps up our content for this episode. Be sure to reference the show notes where you can sign them to connect.

00:17:53:02 - 00:18:08:05
Unknown
For more podcast updates, check out other MRA episodes on your favorite podcast platform and as always, make sure to follow MRA’s 30 minutes Thrive, so you don't miss out. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next Wednesday to carry on the HR conversation.