A new way of engaging staff

This decade has started in a way no-one had anticipated, with millions of employees being laid off and many more wondering what their future holds.

Managers have been trying (desperately at times) to motivate their team members who have often been working in solitude at home. This work-from-anywhere culture was being introduced into businesses slowly but surely; however, the speed of response to the pandemic we have experienced has forced many companies to re-engineer and re-invent the methods they use to keep employees motivated and engaged in their work.

Managers have been asking if there are new models being discussed to assist in 'managing in a crisis', especially when it comes to keeping people engaged whilst working from a distance. This article identifies a way of keeping people engaged in a working environment with a new equation that works in any situation or company.

There is a difference between keeping someone motivated and ensuring they are engaged. Engagedforsuccess.com defines employee engagement as:

"a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day, committed to their organisation's goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being".

This goes way beyond simply trying to motivate people and got me thinking about a short, simple but effective formula that we could use to build engagement in our employees. It is as simple as:

EE = MOVE

Let's take a look at what this equation means.

The EE stands for Employee Engagement.

The MOVE is a product of four components that, when multiplied together, equals a number that can be high or low, with each component having an effect on the other three. So, a low number in one area will bring the overall engagement down.

The M stands for 'Meaning'

If a team member does not see much meaning in what they are doing, they may well feel they are simply 'doing a job'. Just coming to work to get stuff done doesn't equate to high engagement and may well influence motivation in themselves and others.

Having meaning in your work isn't just at the personal level; it also requires the organisation to drive this key component of engagement. If a person feels the role they play offers meaning to their lives and a feeling they are contributing to the success of the department and organisation, there is a higher momentum to their work and a greater potential and desire to want to work more effectively and with passion.

The O stands for 'Opportunities'

We cannot expect someone to be totally engaged if the job they are doing doesn't offer some form of expansion or development of talent some way. Some managers have stated they do have people who simply come to work to do a job and then go home. They don't want a promotion or need advancement; they simply see work as a means to an end, in this case, taking care of their family.

That's understandable to a point, but even these people I've found are open to greater engagement if they are offered room for expansion, or variety in tasks, or the ability to mentor someone else in the department.

Opportunity doesn't always mean vertical promotion; it can sometimes mean chances to expand their talent by working with others in different departments or sharing their skillsets with others. The O here means seeing the opportunity to get better at stuff and expand their portfolio of work chances.

The V stands for 'Vision' and 'Values'

For a person to be highly engaged, they have to feel they are working for a company that has a vision they are inspired by and want to contribute to, plus values that they can buy into.

Without either or both, engagement tends to wane, as the person feels there is nothing bigger for them to aim for. Having an inspirational vision makes a person feel like they want to bring their best self to the company. Having values that link in with a person's own way of thinking adds a form of energy to their efforts, as they are driven by the values they share with the company's.

By manifesting great values that people want to buy into, along with a vision that encourages people to aspire to lofty heights, people are driven to want to be their best when representing that company.

The E stands for 'Energy'

Where does internal energy come from? It's more than likely a mixture of all three components above, along with a personal drive to be their best in an environment that encourages a striving to contribute their best at every opportunity.

If a person feels they have meaning in their role, opportunities to develop and utilise their talent, a vision and values they can buy into and emulate, then they bring natural energy forward to create a level of engagement that inspires themselves and others to perform at their best.

What does a high level of engagement mean for the team member? It means they create greater potential to achieve results, driving themselves and others to share best practice and become the best they can be, and develop a passion for future-focus.

What does it mean to the company? It creates a camaraderie that drives potential and a forward-focussed momentum that encourages everyone to contribute to a higher level of performance, dealing with challenges and issues in a solution-focussed way, with critical and dynamic thinking.

EE = MOVE

Remember, each component is multiplied by the others. If you think of this as working on a scale of 1-10 (1 being low and 10 being high) the lowest score you can achieve is 1, the highest is 10,000.

A low score in any of the components will automatically reduce the engagement level, sometimes by a factor of 10, so it's important as managers that we consider what we can do to balance all four elements of the equation and encourage our people to engage at the highest possible level.

Think about what you as a manager can do to accentuate the positives at every level of MOVE. Ask whether the meaning people get from their work is at the highest level. Plan for talent development and opportunities for growth within people's responsibilities. Ensure people discuss the vision and values regularly, so they see where the company is going and what they can achieve with you. And check out the energy that people are contributing at work so they drive performance and feel part of the success of every day's activities.

Think of MOVE as being an essential element to your team's engagement every day, to ensure you have people who are effectively driving performance and keeping you ahead of the competition.