A lot of companies make efforts to increase engagement, but they don’t have the formal mechanisms to plan it and track their progress, says Autumn Manning, co-founder and CEO of YouEarnedIt, a technology company that provides a platform (software as a service) for real-time recognition.
“10 years ago, people got away with not really having a strategic focus. With changes in the work force and the expectations that employees have, having a connection to purpose and core values is important,” says Manning.
Engagement isn’t having a lot of programs that give people stuff, she cautions. She offers her company’s four pillars for building highly engaged work forces:
Driving connection – Making sure collaboration is happening across the company and there is a high level of communication.
Meaning – highly engaged people want to know they are part of worthy purpose and what their role in that is.
Impact – people want to have an impact on others. Engaged and happier employees are those who have the ability to impact someone else, and they want their company to provide them a means to have that impact.
Recognition – Tell employees what they’re doing well – and not once a year or at the end of a quarter. They are hungry for a regular stream of recognition so they can continually define how to get better.
