While there are a number of descriptions and definitions of employee engagement, my feeling is that engagement is a reflection of how they spend their discretionary time and effort.
The difference between someone who's not engaged vs.
someone who is, is analogous to the distinction between compliance and commitment.
When someone is compliant, they simply obey - doing what's asked of them but no more.
Typically they're doing just enough to keep their job.
Conversely, someone who's committed will spend time and effort outside of normal business hours thinking about work and solving problems, finding better ways to get the job done, seeking out new insights, and then acting on them.
What causes someone to be more committed? There are several major drivers.
The first one is that they need to have, at a core level, some degree of intrinsic motivation.
In other words, they need to be at least somewhat self-motivated to start with.
If a person isn't self-motivated about what they're doing (not the company or their boss, but the actual work itself), they need to find a job that has the kind of work they can be enthused about.
The second driver of engagement involves the person they report to - their leader/boss.
A motivated, committed person will soon become unhappy if their boss is someone they don't trust and respect.
Leaders can build or undermine trust in a number of ways.
It's often a matter of integrity.
I'm not talking about honesty (although being an honest person is absolutely essential), but rather about a leader doing what they say they will do, and being the kind of person they say they are.
Mistrust grows when someone doesn't follow through on their commitments and trust grows when they do follow through.
Mistrust grows when someone claims to embrace certain values but acts in a manner at odds with them, and trust grows as people consistently act in alignment with the values they say matter to them.
When it comes to respect, a leader demonstrates they respect someone when they treat them with respect and listen to their ideas.
Of course, a leader can't claim trust and respect from others.
Trust and respect have to be earned, which takes consistency of word and action over time.
The third driver of engagement and commitment involves the culture of the organization.
An organization which claims certain core values but acts in ways which clearly demonstrate that those values don't matter, soon causes widespread disillusionment and disengagement.
It's just like a leader professing the importance of certain values but acting in a manner at odds with those values.
When a company tolerates bad behavior, it demonstrates a lack of integrity, which leads to a loss of trust and respect for the organization.
The fourth and final driver of engagement and commitment involves the initiatives undertaken by the company, the department, or the team.
An initiative without a reason is simply a goal, and goals by themselves are cold, unemotional targets, lacking any purpose other than to make the person who set the goal look good.
If an initiative is to drive engagement, there needs to be a "why" to go along with the goal.
People become engaged and committed when they believe in what they're doing and believe they are making a difference.
A workforce filled with people who are compliant will get the job done and the results will be acceptable.
But if the goal is to exceed satisfactory results and achieve excellent results, a committed workforce is required.
Start by ensuring that skilled people are being hired who are self-motivated and aligned with the organization's culture.
Ensure that leaders at all levels improve their interpersonal skills (Emotional Intelligence).
Take a good hard look at whether the organization is living up to the core values it claims to embrace.
And be clear about why initiatives are being undertaken.
It may not be easy, but the results are always well worth it.
If you'd like help in converting more of your workforce into committed professionals, please give us a call at 503-928-7685.