In my newsletter “Ten Strategies to Foster an Employee-Engaged Culture”, I wrote about the global pandemic crises’ impact on the world of work: forcing change on how we manage, supervise and operate our businesses. I presented a blueprint to become a more employee-engaged culture to both attract job candidates and retain current employees resulting in meeting customer needs and improved outcomes.
It involved the organization’s commitment to an environment where employees, for example, can develop, work independently, or be encouraged to share their ideas and input.
It also entails the employee’s role; their accountability to their job responsibilities, co-workers, customers and organizational growth.
I describe it as a holistic culture of “organizational- engagement“: management, supervisors and employees.
Where do you begin? Attempt to reduce any ambiguity for what is expected. Consider establishing the non-negotiables that you are committed to in creating an organizational-engaged work culture by defining and clarifying behavioral and performance expectations for everyone in the organization. Then integrate these as benchmarks into everyday practices and interactions such as hiring, managing, communicating and branding. Non-negotiable examples include:
- Ownership of responsibilities, deadlines and outcomes
- Collaborative, sharing of information and expertise
- Proactive in improving the customer experience
- Employees are valued and treated with respect
- Strategy and goals are written, discussed and understood
- Difference opinion are expressed freely