‘It doesn’t cost any money to treat employees with respect’
At the SHRM conference that kicks off in Delhi today, Brad Shuck, Associate Professor, Organisational Leadership and Learning, University of Louisville, Kentucky and strategic and academic partner of BI worldwide, will deliver a talk on Employee Value Proposition. Ahead of the event, he talks of trends shaping engagement. Edited excerpts:
A happy workplace is a more productive workplace. And yet, HR in most organisations is a killjoy. Why the contradiction?
Traditionally, HR has been viewed as a process-oriented department responsible for time-tracking, payroll and benefits. While HR is still responsible for these kinds of tasks, some HR departments have evolved to include a strong focus on employee happiness, building employee engagement, and driving a positive organisational culture. In time, in those organisations that are able to make this shift from a process-only focus to a more inclusive culture focus, HR might become a different kind of department, one that is less undesirable and is a strategic partner in driving everything from talent development, recruitment, and organisational storytelling to bottom-line results. This is beginning to happen in leading organisations around the globe.
What are the new trends in engaging employees?
One of the newest trends in keeping employees engaged is to consider the entire employee life-cycle, starting even before they are hired through after they leave a company. Making every moment count starts with understanding how employees, prospective candidates, and alumni perceive an organisation’s brand and then use that information to develop an authentic Employee Value Proposition. There are five moments that are important in activating an organisation’s EVP for each employee:
Decision Day (Can I see myself here?)
First Day (Did I make the right choice?)
Every Day (Is this a place I’d like to stay?)
Achievement Day (Am I valued and appreciated?)
Referral Day (Am I happy here?)
How much of a contribution does a leader make to employee engagement?
Leaders make a measurable difference. Some leaders impact an organisation in negative ways and bleed it of talent, while others help an organisation transform and become industry leaders with a competitive advantage.
Our research shows that these leaders engage in seven distinct types of behaviour: (a) they treat employees and their teams with dignity (b) they are authentic and check their egos (c) they remain present in the moment (d) they hold their teams and employees accountable for great work (e) they lead with integrity and (f) they support through empathy.
Out of all of our research, the one leader behaviour that really drives employee behaviour in the workplace is dignity.