Employees must be the focus in the ‘new-normal’ working environment
Engaging employees is always a challenge – whether it is engaging for a specific initiative or ongoing engagement. We believe too many companies treat engagement as a one-time programme rather than an ongoing campaign and this results in employees seeing lots of initiatives that are not long-term and get dropped when the new initiative surfaces.
An environment has to be created where engagement is not a one-off initiative but is an ongoing rolling programme of communications.
2020 was certainly a year of change. Organisations too are changing on a more regular basis than ever before. Organisations are increasingly recognising the need to invest time and thought in engaging their most important stakeholder – their people. Those that are making a difference are where they are involving their people in creating their future. This includes giving freedom and opportunity, encouraging co-creation of strategy and content, and setting clear expectations of leaders and managers in their engagement role.
Employees who are highly engaged are emotionally invested in their work and feel a huge sense of ownership for the business. This demands true inspirational leadership where leaders can bring the future to life but act with humility, where they convey energy and give their time, and where they provide direction but welcome ideas and challenges.
Leaders also create the environment for cultures to thrive. Culture and engagement go hand in hand. Businesses that are flourishing create cultures that speak to the increasingly diverse generations of employees. Where all employees can connect their personal purpose to the purpose and values of their organisation, and feel empowered to make a difference.
To help organisations engage we work across three areas, employee engagement, interior branding and leadership communications – so we engage all stakeholders across the entire organisation. We do this by being experts at what we do, inspiring change and being creative.