This is Pt 3 of 3 articles written by Noal McDonald covering employee engagement and HR issues that are largely new to most businesses as we build new business practices in a new work-from-home era.
Read Pt 1 ‘Will Working Remotely Be the New Normal?’ here.
Read Pt 2 ‘PEOPLE Working from Home’ here.
3 Organizational Platforms to Revisit
Over the last six months or so, we have been working to put enough pieces together to make remote work a viable option for our businesses. Now businesses are opening again. Will things go back to where they were? Chances are very good that remote working will still be a part of how we work. That means that our cultures will change and we’ll need to find new ways to manage key processes within our organizations. This can cover a lot of territory but focusing on people-related areas can give us a dramatic return on investment.
Engagement
Current statistics reported by Gallup in the State of the American Workplace, completed before the recent events, show that 30% of US workers are actively engaged, 16% are actively disengaged and the remaining 51% are “just there.” That means there is much work to do and a change to a remote work culture adds a dramatic new dimension.
There are a number of factors that impact employee engagement including:
- Clear expectations and the resources to meet them
- Understanding their individual contribution to the organization
- Connection to the mission of the organization
- Relationship with managers and co-workers
- Opportunities for growth
While the nexus for these factors is the manager and individual staff member, organizational strategies need to be developed to support the 1:1 relationships with onsite and remote workers.
Surveys – keeping people connected
- Spot Surveys – quick, online surveys help connect employees to the organization. Getting feedback on changes, new developments, or suggestions for improvements can be a window into the engagement and satisfaction of employees. This connection is especially essential for remote workers. Questions can be as simple: “How did the change in PTO affect you?” or more comprehensive: “What one thing would you change in the corporate culture?” These surveys are like the old suggestion box. Take it all in and respond back.
- Pulse Surveys – this is a consistent online process of asking employees one significant question each week. They are short but effective and provide a continuous flow of fresh data. It’s a way to address issues quickly and demonstrate the organization is listening.
- Annual Engagement Survey – If you have been using an annual survey, continue to do so, but consider changing the questions to reflect the experience of remote and onsite workers. Remember an annual survey is of no value unless the organization acts on the information.
Engagement Culture – “walking the talk”
Is there an overarching structure that defines and informs the actions of the organization around engagement? Now is the time to take a hard look at who we are. With remote workers, we need to be more explicit and purposeful about our culture. Here are some thought-provoking resources for what an engagement-driven culture might look like.
In the book Roar – How to Build a Resilient Organization the World-famous San Diego Zoo Way, by Sandy Asch and Tim Mulligan, they share the 5 C’s that helped the 100-year-old Zoo be resilient in changing times.
- Reclaim (self) Control – how to self-manage to be calm, stay positive, be optimistic
- Realign Conditions – integrate work and life, manage wellbeing, and support effective use of time and energy
- Reimagine Communication – truth-telling, transparency, vulnerability, and positivity in the workplace
- Renew Connections – a sense of purpose, a connection between personal and organizational values, a feeling of belonging and support from the community
- Rebalance Commitments – “The willingness to embrace change, adopt new habits, be tenacious, persevere, and have emotional resolve in any circumstance.”
While their focus is resilience, the principles also include the key components of engagement.
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow created a motivational theory based on human needs: the bottom of the pyramid is physiological needs – food and shelter; next level is safety. After the first two levels are met, the next is belonging, then self-esteem through mastery and respect, and finally self-actualization for talent, creativity and fulfillment. His pyramid of human needs and motivation applies to everyone. If the culture fulfills these basic human needs then people will be engaged. Using Maslow as a frame is a way to test decisions and create attitudes, procedures and an environment to support engagement.
- BetterUp – 6 Proven Ways to Create a Culture of Engagement
In this article by Hunter Black, he lists three core elements of an engagement culture:
- Vigor – energy at work and a willingness to persist despite challenges
- Dedication – finding work meaningful and challenging
- Absorption – being in the “flow” – so focused on our work that we lose track of time
Are these attributes present in your organization? What would it take on an organizational level to make this possible? A final question – what would the organization look like if people working onsite and remotely were engaged? What will it take to make it so?
Performance Evaluation
The possibility of increasing numbers of people working remotely is an opportunity to simplify and clarify the process. With remote work we will rely more on objective data to measure performance. Because interactions occur online, it will be easier to track the frequency and quality of manager/staff interactions. Instead of a single annual event, we can create a continuous performance evaluation process.
The data can help with objective criteria, but in the end, the purpose of an evaluation is to grow and develop our people. We need to make personal interactions a component of the process to ensure our remote workers are connected.
Redesign the process – measuring what matters
Define the method and criteria that will be measured. Consider some of the following categories:
- Skills and work product expectations for individuals and teams.
- Frequency and tracking for day-to-day feedback. These sessions can become the backbone for the performance evaluation process. They are real-time measurements of performance.
- Requirements, frequency, and tracking for manager(s) and staff one-on-one to talk about career and development goals. These career development conversations keep individuals connected to the organization and are foundational for professional development. It’s a big key to engagement too.
- Soft skills as core competencies. Remote work requires new tools for communication. Managers and staff need ongoing training in communication skills, especially when the visual cues for understanding are missing even in online meetings.
Leverage technology – innovative ways to work
Companies have already discovered technologies for video conferencing – Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams are some options. Be sure everyone has the technology to make online meetings seamless.
To help with project management consider Basecamp, Asana, Wrike, or Monday. These products will help track and evaluate performance during the year.
Consider a continuous performance management system like 15Five that combines weekly check-ins, 1:1 meeting agendas and project management, tracking and managing objectives, and easy employee recognition options.
Annual Evaluations – Keep It Simple
The one-on-one feedback sessions will create a good picture of how performance has been over the year and can provide good quantitative information. For the annual recap consider the evaluations used by Fire Engine RED, a 100% remote marketing solutions company with 80+ employees.
Their evaluation consists of 5 questions:
- What were your key accomplishments?
- What lessons did you learn?
- What are your top goals for next year?
- What skills do you want to improve?
- How can your manager help you?”
This employee-centric evaluation lets people take the lead on their evaluation and invest in their own development. Each question is a great discussion point for career planning and personal/professional growth.
The performance evaluation criteria give managers a road map that will help them be more effective with staff and creates a structure that will ensure staff remain connected and engaged. Managers’ evaluations should include their effectiveness in meeting the connection points of the process, e.g., 1:1s, quarterly career development conversations, and soft skills training for staff. Don’t forget managers need the same attention from senior leaders as we expect them to provide to staff.
Internal Corporate Communications
Being part of an organization was easier when we went to a physical location. The sense of belonging can be lost as we work from home. To keep these valuable people engaged in the organization, our corporate communications must be as robust and thoughtful as it is in marketing and branding. As Tim Mulligan, Chief Human Resources Officer at Vulcan Inc. said in a recent presentation, “we want to Velcro our people to the mission and vision of our company.”
- Connect people to the mission and vision
Every aspect of employee communication needs to keep a focus on the brand. Who are we? What are our values? Why do we do what we do? What do we contribute to our customers and the community? Keep this information top of mind by taking advantage of multiple outlets – websites, blogs, resources pages, and social media. Not only with this help keep remote workers connected, but it will significantly enhance the recruiting strategies.
- Over-communicate
Keep people informed about things going on in the organization. Be transparent – don’t try to hide challenges or bad news. If people are not kept in the loop, they will fill in the blanks. Lack of information or the proliferation of misinformation can have a bigger impact on remote workers.
- Create online town hall meetings with senior executives to talk about the organization – what’s happening now, looking to the future, celebrating successes, and acknowledging challenges.
- Schedule Q&A sessions with executives just for remote workers.
- Post survey information online or respond to feedback on specific topics.
- Connect brand/mission/vision to all aspects of the organization
- Performance evaluations – how do individual skills, experience, and behaviors support the mission and values; what core competencies are necessary; how do individual goals match up with corporate goals.
- Promotions – behaviors that support and reflect the mission, vision, and values are a significant part of decisions on promotions.
- Recruiting – be clear about what the company stands for in all recruiting materials. Show candidates what it looks like to be part of the organization.
- Train managers to articulate the mission, vision, and values
- Managers have the most interaction with staff and are best positioned to reinforce them in one-on-one conversations and help individuals make personal connections to the organization.
Remote work – the jury is still out. We may embrace it, reject it, or create some other hybrid. Regardless, it is a catalyst for organizations to review the foundational platforms of engagement, performance evaluation and internal corporate communication. Revitalizing our approach to meet the needs of our remote workers will have a significant and lasting impact on all our workers and the overall success of the organization. It’s a result well worth the effort.
REVOLUTIONARY CONVERSATIONS
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