What communicators must do next

A recent article by Jennifer Robison in the latest Gallup Management Journal recognizes the consuming challenges facing corporate leaders these days, but reminds them of the need to stay focused on employee engagement. Gallup is in the employee engagement business, so the article is, of course, designed to prompt existing clients and prospects to pick up the phone and get some help. But I don't mind self-serving pieces like this when they ring true and have useful information and advice, and this one certainly does.

Here's a taste:

If businesses are to survive, leaders can't overlook opportunities to boost productivity and profitability -- and that means employee engagement is more critical than ever. "There's a tendency right now to freeze -- to avoid doing new things for fear of doing the wrong thing," says Denise McLain, Gallup principal. "Freezing is a mistake. You can always change tactics later if you need to and adapt when more information comes in. But the worst mistake is to overlook engaging your employees. When times are tough, leaders need all the engaged people they can get."

Gallup has a giant pile of data from years of surveying employees that shows a direct connection between high engagement and business success. Companies with engaged employees have more loyal customers, better productivity and higher profits than those who don't. And the flip side is also true. "bottom quartile" companies with highly disengaged employees "have 51% more inventory shrinkage, 31% to 51% more employee turnover, and 62% more accidents than business units in the top quartile."

So how do leaders get employees engaged, and keep them that way? Here's a summary of Gallop's advice:

• Remind everyone they're all in it together. This means communicating what's happening and why - and showing some empathy.

• Ask for employee input. People are more engaged when they know their employer cares about their opinion and responds to comments and suggestions.

• Create a focus. Having a common purpose brings a team together. This means getting out of "reaction mode" and communicating a long-term vision.

• Share the news -- good and bad -- with employees first. "No matter how bad the news is, people will always think of something worse unless they have accurate information from leadership." 

• Don't abandon front line managers, your primary conduit to employees. "They need support like never before because they may be feeling as uncertain about the future as the employees they manage."

• Demonstrate optimism by paying attention to people. "A good way to prove your optimism is to double down on people and products....show your people today that you believe in the future of the company--and that you're ready to meet it when it arrives."

This stuff all sounds like common sense, and you've heard most of this before. But in a time of crisis, common sense can be one of the first casualties. The Gallup article is directed at business leaders, but it might as well be a manifesto for corporate communicators. Here's how it ends:

Preserving or augmenting engagement isn't easy. It takes commitment from the top. But the return on engagement almost always outweighs the investment. "Worldwide, the best companies realize they can't afford to ignore employee engagement," says [Tom Rath, Gallup global practice leader and coauthor with Conchie of Strengths Based Leadership.] "But then, the best companies never did."

Communicators, take heed. If you're not currently giving your senior leaders advice like this, get on it.

Common sense does not always prevail on its own. What are YOU going to do next?

Comments

[Susan]

Send them this post. ;)

Seriously, this is a great reminder. And it works when we remind management to keep communicating. Example: don't wait for Q2 results to come out. Work with a business leader to provide an update on your specific business climate and where the business stands in achieving its objectives. This allows focus. Quarterly results messages try to cram too much into one e-mail.

[Ron Shewchuk]

Thanks Susan for the positive feedback and the good advice. Many internal communicators today are trapped in a ritual of dealing with whatever is going to happen next. Instead of (or in addition to) responding to the next crisis or hard deadline, we should be looking beyond what's urgent to what's important.

[Les Potter]

Great post Ron. I can use this in class. Excellent points one and all. Too bad many org comm people forget your wisdom here.

[Ron Shewchuk]

Thanks Les. I'm glad outfits like Gallup are out there reminding us to pay attention!