Employee Engagement For Consultants

As consultants, we are constantly in engagement mode. Engaging clients and the organization is critical in the line of performing our jobs. Where do we get our experience and training? Most consultants with previous HR experience in an organization will have played a role as an HR business partner, which is an internal consultant to the business operations. Here are some thoughts on employee engagement that you can use in your own work with clients.

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is today’s buzzword to yesterday’s employee management participation team and team concept programs. These are approaches that try to get employees to be more involved in management and to participate in the decision processes. In today’s climate of economic instability, employee engagement is critical to the overall success of an organization. Employee engagement is key in talent management and retention programs. It directly affects the motivation towards an employee’s personal commitment to his or her role and the work of people in the organization. This has a direct impact on productivity and operational cost of businesses.

The word engagement involves participation in communication and togetherness and sharing in business activities and decision-making. It plays a great emphasis on doing things together with understanding and co-operation, based on a “united-we-stand” principle. It’s a management concept very much aligned to the Gen Y employees.

Transmitting A New Culture

How can we transmit the fundamentals to new comers?

• Whether an individual works in senior management or the mail room, we need to understand that everyone is a paid employee in the organization. The breakdown of the “status” barrier is the most difficult but most significant aspect of engagement for developing sincerity, trust and togetherness.
• Provide open concept work layouts and arrangements that promote easy, consistent and cross discussions in a soft-social environment to share information and decisions.
• Encourage face-to-face interactions among groups and enable counseling and coaching. Facilitation and leadership are critical aspects of imparting company objectives and combating the cultures that work against it.
• Remember that employees seek and need leadership and coaching more than supervisors and managers.
• Promote consistent social appreciation, small but frequent celebrations, positive reinforcements and peer support to show the organization’s qualities of caring and consideration.
• Allow openness to explore and talk about decisions and events around the organization.

How can we create a positive culture with our previous workforce employees?

One problem with trying to create a new culture is that newcomers end up in the existing culture!

• Promote team building techniques in a social environment. It can be part of a reward and appreciation program.
• Allow for consistent interaction among new and old workers allowing leaders to create an environment to move the older workers forward. Do not expect overnight change and do not expect total change as “old habits die hard.”
• QCC (Quality Control Circles)⎯small group activities and performance teams are effective programs as long as it’s a sincere program with small objectives achievable by the teams.
• Use incentives that produce performance-based rewards and ensure that the performance expectations are realistic. It’s meant to motivate.
• Provide job enrichment that allows employees to feel empowered and supports autonomous work.
• Offer purposeful work to ensure employees and leadership are aligned with project deliverables, directly impacting the overall strategic goals.
• Schedule team-building opportunities that increase collaboration across business units.
• Implement succession planning below the executive level to show employees that they are valued for their contribution. Clearly outline where they are now and what is needed to achieve the next level in their careers. Facilitate those employees to be ready for their next career move now.

By showing consistent and sincere appreciation through approaches that bring employees together regardless of their position and status, you will help create an open environment that employees will welcome.