Employee Engagement: It's an Inside Job

We’ve all heard the staggering statistics regarding employee engagement – less than 25 percent of our workforce shows up on Monday morning excited about work. By the way, those statistics represent the optimistic viewpoint. Some say employee engagement could be as low as 19 to 11 percent.(1) Regardless of what number you land on, it means too many people are physically showing up for work, but leaving their best self at home.

There are two major casualties of this unfortunate phenomenon; the companies who are weathering the loss of productivity, innovation and profits, and the employees who are missing the opportunity to bring their passion to work. Regardless of which side of the equation you might sit on – I hope you leave this article thinking differently about what gets folks excited about work. Unfortunately, the market has taken a very top-down approach, so many engagement strategies don't adequately address how to elicit employees to be part of the solution. It's a shame really, because employers and employees both want the same thing. Employers want employees to care so they’ll do their best work. Employees want to do their best work, because they care. Again, we both want the same thing but we’re not aligned in our efforts to create the circumstances and results we both desire.

What We Really Want from Work
Employees want three critical things from work: to feel satisfaction on a reoccurring basis, to have an emotional connection to the work, and to see the impact of their contribution. Getting all three components right creates the motivation any person needs to re-energize themselves, or their workforce for that matter.

Let’s start with satisfaction. We know that satisfaction in the workplace can be derived from one’s manager, an employer’s practices or policies, the working conditions, salary, and perks like free sodas, on-site gyms and subsidized lunches. And, if these things are working to an employee's liking and moments of happiness occur, that's great. But here’s the secret. When they’re working perfect, it only creates contentment or satisfaction. For example, when an employee doesn’t like their manager, it has the potential to create an unhappy employee, right? That’s why, I suspect, many employee engagement strategies are so heavily focused on leadership development. But, even at its best – a good manager can only provide a state of satisfaction. Nothing more. It certainly doesn't equal engagement. So, by focusing on the things mentioned above - we only keep folks from the brink of dissatisfaction.

To make this even clearer, I want to point out a very interesting fact about human behavior and why satisfaction alone is not enough. We are first and foremost motivated by our unmet needs and wants, and this is no different in the workplace. When our unmet needs are satisfied, we relish fleeting moments of enjoyment but it doesn’t create sustained moments of motivation . It’s certainly not enough to energize us long-term to do our best work. If you give me free soda or even a pay raise, it’s nothing more than a blip on the screen. Often, the elation is gone before the money hits the bank.

It’s an Inside Job
So, if the more popular strategies aren’t enough – then what? This is where an emotional connection and seeing the impact of my contribution becomes vital. First, having employees feel emotionally connected to their work is the most important piece. It’s derived from four key things in today’s self-managed workforce: meaningfulness, choice, progress and feeling competent. (2) In other words, they need to see a through-line from what’s most important to them when it comes to their career and tether their vision of success to the needs of the organization. This isn’t about goal setting – it’s bigger than that. People want to know they are moving toward something with significance to them, in a way that honors what’s most important, while enjoying the ride. You see, the motivation to get folks excited about work can only be spurred by understanding and meeting the unique elements that intrinsically move an individual into action. It's an inside job.

When people don’t know what they want from their career, seeing and feeling the impact of their contribution is a nebulous concept. To what end? If the employee hasn't defined their vision of career success, it's almost impossible to offer them the external recognition that has meaning to them. So, the final component of employee engagement is hitched directly to the wagon of emotional connection. What they want from their employer is a place where they get closer to their long-term goals - measured by the achievements, recognition, growth opportunities, and knowing how the work itself moves them in the right direction.(3) Without this knowledge, organizations and managers are left with hollow attempts at motivating their employees. Think about it…have you ever promoted someone, only to have them unhappy months later? It’s because they hadn’t defined a clear path to success and taken the time to figure out if it aligns with their strengths, interests, values, or priorities in life. The bulls-eye sits in a different place for every employee.

For some this is a paradigm shift. There’s an industry built on expensive top-down engagement strategies, while inexpensive and high-impact employee-driven approaches are waiting in the wings to ignite today’s workforce. I’m not suggesting we throw away our current practices, but instead, think about ways to empower our employees to share the responsibility to create greater connections between their hopes and dreams and the companies they work for, so they can wake up on Monday morning excited about work again.

(1) Gallup and Blessingwhite estimate a 29 to 25 percent engagement level, respectfully. Others, such as Towers Perrin, the Corporate Executive board and DDI estimate lower levels ranging from 19 to 11 percent.
(2) Based on research by Kenneth W. Thomas, PhD.
(3) Based on research by Frederick Herzberg (Hygiene Factor).