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CI DILEMMA JUNE 2019
CI Dilemma
Ticking the right boxes
A company assumes its employees’ feelings can be extrapolated from an annual survey,
not realising that shopfl oor engagement goes far deeper than simply asking a few questions
Our organisation is at a crossroads.
Operationally, we are succeeding in
a challenging and very competitive
market. Orders are on the up, fi nances are
looking rosy and, on the surface. at least,
the shopfl oor is performing as it should.
Scratch a bit deeper, though, and there
are concerns that on the ‘softer’ side, we’re
falling behind. Our operators are extremely
good at their day-to-day jobs, as evidenced
by the fi gures we’re regularly posting, but
that’s all they seem to be doing. We hear
and read about other manufacturers’
engaged employees, who are adding extra
we can achieve the same.
We hold an annual employee survey,
which asks operators for feedback on how
engaged they feel, and how we as a senior
management team are performing. Every
year, the results are largely the same:
some areas for improvement, but on the
whole they’re quite satisfi ed.
For too long, we’ve chalked that up as
a success, and not really acted on it. We’re
now realising that we could (and should)
be doing a lot more to engage our staff ,
but are unsure how to go about it?
CI Solution Julian Winn, principal consultant, The Manufacturing Institute
Don’t worry – you’re not alone. It’s much
easier to talk about facts and fi gures, levels
of output and effi ciencies, than peoplerelated
topics. A typical pathway to senior
management does not usually focus on the
people aspects of the business, despite the
fact that ‘people are the business.’
A common trap, which you have fallen
into, is that companies often rely on an
annual employee survey to help them
understand how their employees are feeling.
At best, this is merely a snapshot. At worst,
the questions are clearly designed to deliver
an outcome that is ‘required’. Employees see
through this. Don’t rely on an annual survey
to understand your employees.
We need to be very clear about what
people engagement means, and how can we
work with employees to create the culture
that we are aspiring to. We also need to be
able to measure progress in this area.
It is possible to come to work, do the
minimum necessary and go home. However,
engaged employees give more of themselves,
without being asked to. This is often referred
to as discretionary eff ort – the extra that
people give when they feel valued and on
board with a company’s vision.
The fi rst part of the challenge for senior
leaders is to be able to describe what an
engaged employee looks like. Think about
the ideal behaviours you would like to see
in your employees. As an example, you
may want to see more people coming
up with ideas on how to improve the
business, taking ownership of their
ideas and seeing them through to
implementation.
The next step is to think
deeply and honestly about why
these behaviours are not being
seen. Could it be that when
people come up with
improvement ideas, they don’t get
the help to get started? Could it be
that, at a senior management level, there is
little love lost between department heads,
and their behaviour is modelled down
through the ranks? Is it that the processes
are over-complicated and diffi cult for the
average employee to achieve successfully?
Where I have seen high levels of people
engagement, there are usually the same
‘building blocks’ which help to create the
supportive conditions (culture). These
include, but are not limited to:
A clear vision of the purpose of the
business, where employees feel united,
and often have been part of its creation.
An aligned senior management team –
if you are not winning in the boardroom,
you are unlikely to win on the shopfl oor.
Well-developed safety systems, where
safety is talked about on a daily basis as
part of the routine meeting structure across
the orgasnisation.
value to the company, and wonder how
Senior management making time to get
out onto the shopfl oor, talking about the
vision and helping people see their
important part in achieving it.
Leaders recognising the
behaviours they want to see,
without resorting to handing
out money/vouchers, and don’t
seem to be linked to a common
set of values. Recognition does
not equal reward!
Time – and resource – set aside for
implementing improvement activities.
Leaders, at all level of the business,
planning in time to have 1-2-1s with all of
their team members every month.
In terms of measuring engagement, here
are a few examples that may work for you:
The level of participation with the
employee survey, where this is voluntary
and doesn’t involve any form of coercion,
implied or otherwise.
The number of ‘near misses’ reported.
The amount of time senior management
spent engaging with people on the shopfl oor.
The number of peer-to-peer and
leader-to-employee recognitions taking place.
The number (and quality) of improvement
ideas generated by employees.
No two organisations are the same;
that is true. However, when it comes to
successful people engagement, there are
usually similarities in approach.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you agree with our expert? Have you found a successful approach to measuring employee engagement?
Send us your views and you could appear here next month. Email: chris.beck@markallengroup.com
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