Jan 2021

2021: Are we teetering at the top of the engagement rollercoaster?

Author: Tivoli van der Westhuizen

Looking to the future as we learn from the past

Global employee engagement was running at a peak, according to the 2020 Kincentric Global Trends Report, increasing by 2% over the past year. Across Europe, the engagement score remained the same and in the UK there was a slight dip, likely to be a result of the uncertainty of Brexit influencing organisational decisions that impact engagement, such as pay and creation of new roles. The global upturn is likely to be a consequence of organisations having to ‘step up’ in the face of Covid-19. The Edelman Trust Barometer, published in January 2021, supports this by showing that ‘Trust’ has increased with employers, over the Government, NGOs, and media.

Hopefully, that might be identifiable to your organisation, and other organisations across the UK that have seen their engagement with employees be maintained (or even increase) due to investments in their internal communication plans as a result of the crisis. We have seen more organisations and importantly, managers, asking ‘How are you?’; we’ve seen increased visibility and humility from leaders, and we have seen an honest dialogue around not having to have ALL the answers but sharing what is and isn’t known. These have all led to an incredible boost in connectivity for some organisations, and while everyone misses the opportunity to have a laugh over their desk with colleagues (or a Friday night drink) we have excelled in adversity and made the most of what the virtual world has to offer.

While the global upturn sounds incredibly positive – given the crisis that unfolded around the world in 2020 – unfortunately it does present a challenge: maintaining that level of engagement. A similar trend followed the financial crisis of 2008/2009. A short increase in engagement during an uncertain time and significant change was followed by an equal or stronger drop. So, all the pedalling you have done this year is going to have to increase ten-fold to increase, or even, maintain those levels. And for those organisations that haven’t invested resources into their employees, it is going to be incredibly hard to make it up to them. We all know the cost of hiring someone new is well over what the current person is being paid – Gallup suggests that replacing an employee can cost 150% of his or her annual salary – so if they are a great asset it’s important to retain, engage and motivate.

So, what can you do?

Take a step back and review; what’s worked well, what hasn’t gone so well in the past?

• Ask your employees how they are (how they REALLY are) and importantly what they are looking forward to in the future. An employee survey can give you an incredible insight into how your people are feeling, their bugbears, and their euphoric moments. They may have some incredible ideas to help make your business tick that little bit better
• Keep the dialogue – if 2020 helped you break down communication barriers and gave your employees a more authentic organisation that they trust, grab that with both hands and build on it. Look at what worked well and understand how you can add to it. Because unfortunately, as the dip after the financial crisis suggests, it will require more thinking…more development. More of everything!
• Do you know your ‘moments that matter’? Do you know what your employees care about? It will differ depending on your workforce demographic but understand them, plot them, and support them. Bring your comms and engagement strategy to life with creativity and flair. Bring it to life for the right moments at the right time, and you could continue to feel the benefits of an engaged, productive workforce

If you want to have a chat about employee engagement, your internal comms strategy or generally checking in with your employees, feel free to get in touch – I’m happy to sense check ideas, find some more, or simply share the load.

References

2020 Kincentric Global Trends Report

The Edelman Trust Barometer

Gallup: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236294/millennials-job-hoppers-not.aspx?g_source=link_NEWSV9&g_medium=TOPIC&g_campaign=item_&g_content=Many%2520Millennials%2520Are%2520Job-Hoppers%2520--%2520But%2520Not%2520All