Companies striving to improve employee engagement levels face a number of challenges, but first on the list should be Executive buy-in. Without it, engagement initiatives are destined to fail.
Numerous employee engagement surveys have reported just how important leadership is to employee engagement. This year, four of the top six drivers of engagement had to do with leadership, as can be seen in the list below.
- The leaders of this organisation are committed to making this a great place to work.
- I trust the leaders in my organisation to set the right course.
- I believe this organisation will be successful in the future.
- The leaders in my organisation value people as their most important resource.
- I see professional growth and career development opportunities for myself in this organisation.
- I trust the senior leadership team to lead the company to future success.
It’s clear that employees’ engagement is directly influenced by their confidence in their management and executive. But could leaders’ buy-in (or lack of buy-in) to an employee engagement strategy be just as influential? The answer is an overwhelming “YES.”
New data shows leadership attitudes toward employee engagement are directly linked to engagement levels.
This indicates that companies with the lowest levels of engagement are led by people who don’t take engagement very seriously in the first place.
While more than 80 percent of highly engaged organisations say employee engagement is important to leadership, less than 20 percent of somewhat disengaged and disengaged companies can say the same thing.
It’s not really that surprising when you think about it and break it down:
When leaders buy into their organisation’s employee engagement strategy, employee engagement increases.
When employees are confident that their executives and managers value and respect the contribution they make, and by clearly stating the vision and direction of the company, staff are more likely to be committed to making it a great place to work, with the resulting engagement increases that can be achieved delivering higher staff retention, greater customer satisfaction and increased discretionary effort.
Here’s what is surprising. A lack of senior leadership buy-in can be HR’s biggest roadblock to a successful employee engagement initiative, ranking above cost and resources. Even when the overwhelming data points to how leadership’s commitment to the workplace and their support of an engagement initiative directly impact their organisation’s level of engagement, leaders are still the biggest impediment to employee engagement.
I have written about the importance of employee buy-in (and given you tips on how to gain it) when it comes to conducting engagement surveys. But before you can even begin to collect employee feedback, make positive changes, and increase employee engagement, you MUST gain leadership buy-in to your entire strategy.
So what are you waiting for? Push past your survey roadblocks and spearhead the successful employee engagement initiative your organisation deserves.
Brownie Points is a rapidly growing platform of choice for progressive and visionary companies looking to improve corporate performance and employee engagement. To learn more or to arrange a no obligation call us today on 03 9909 7411 or email us at info@browniepoints.com.au
