blog of engagement

It seems like every business article these days mentions that employee morale is at an all-time low, employee loyalty is quickly waning, and job satisfaction continues to drop.  We hear a lot of reasons why this is happening and different solutions for addressing this problem.  Many of those solutions are very tactical and take place at the manager or individual contributor level – things like ordering pizza on Fridays or giving employees more telecommuting options.  Those are nice things to do for people, but it doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

In many cases, boosting employee morale, job satisfaction, and loyalty materializes once you get people engaged with their heads, hearts, and hands in the organization.  That isn’t something an organization can just “turn on.”  The good news is there are four key concepts that contribute to employee engagement, and if businesses can help people connect them to their jobs, they’ll see a significant lift in employee contributions and productivity.

People want to:
1)   Be part of something big,
2)   Feel a sense of belonging,
3)   Go on a meaningful journey, and
4)   Know that their contributions make a significant impact or difference.

Jim Haudan recently spoke at a TEDxBGSU event where he explained how organizations can inspire people, create change, and make a difference, addressing these four roots of engagement.