How To Do Employee Engagement Surveys

How To Do Employee Engagement SurveysHow To Do Employee Engagement SurveysHow To Do Employee Engagement Surveys Kelleher, author of LOUDER THAN WORDS 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive ResultsListen up leaders - I dont think you need to care about satisfying your employees. Frankly, it isnt an employers responsibility to satisfy employees.Now, if I havent lost you entirely, I do believe that employee satisfaction can be an outcome of a great company culture, but it shouldnt be your goal.Lets face it, you can always throw money or offer perks to boost employee satisfaction levels. However, the last thing any employer wants or needs is a satisfied but underperforming employee, or satisfied employees working in a business that is underperforming.Its about Employee EngagementI define engagement as the unlocking of employee potential to drive high employee performance. According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees have 3.9 times the earnings per share (EPS) growth rate compared to organizations with low engagement scores. This link between company performance and your employees potential will help drive the performance of your employees and business.Companies need to focus efforts on building a mutual commitment between employee and employer - a commitment that is the foundation of employee engagement. Only when this foundation is in place will firms experience the secret sauce of a high performing business - the discretionary effort of employees.Are your Employees Engaged?Recent research by the Corporate Leadership Council is staggering only 5.9% of surveyed employees are giving their employers high levels of discretionary effort. WowAre your employees highly engaged? Are you capturing their discretionary effort? How would you know? As we slowly recover from this deep recession, some enlightened companies are beginning to ask their employees what do you think? as they conduct employee engagement surveys.Remember that employee engage ment surveys measure engagement - bedrngnis satisfaction. I suggest that organizations conduct an employee engagement survey sooner rather than later to gauge their organizational pulse. Why? Because studies show that were heading into a high period of employee turnover. This has spawned the era of the disengaged but staying put within our ranks.The Magnificent Seven Lessons of Employee Engagement Surveys Lesson 1 Get buy-in. Do not conduct a survey unless youre convinced your leadership kollektiv is committed to listening and acting on feedback. If you ask employees what they think and then do nothing with the results, you will foster cynicism and skepticism with your employees. In fact, youll be worse off than if you didnt conduct a survey in the first place.Lesson 2 Partner with a professional. You want the ability to benchmark your results with other companies in your industry most survey providers offer both valuable benchmark data and confidentiality.Lesson 3 Set the stage. I f youre conducting a follow-up survey, I strongly suggest you promote specific actions, successes and progress since the last survey. Of course, if you have a vibrant and effective communications plan since your last survey, you most likely would have been doing this throughout the months since your survey This communication should play a key part of your overall survey communication plan, led by your best internal communicators. View this exercise as a terrific company branding opportunity - and the key to capturing higher levels of participation.Lesson 4 Establish a cross-sectional committee. This group will review survey results and make recommendations to management. The task team should include an equal mix of leaders and respected representatives from your employee base. This diverse team will reinforce an engaged culture.The committee will evaluate survey results and prioritize recommendations to the leadership team. Consider keeping this task team together to help guide and monitor progress of key survey initiatives.Lesson 5 Act locally. Establish a cross-sectional sub-committee to review local results (departmental, business unit, functional, etc.) and appoint related champions. Your survey results will identify some areas of your business that score significantly better or worse than the company average follow up with an analysis at the local level and establish local action plans.Lesson 6 Keep it simple and execute flawlessly. The tendency after a survey is to overpromise and under deliver. Although born of great intentions, you run the risk of creating a skeptical work culture.To circumvent this, implement a rigorous review process that includes an itemized budget to fund priorities.Remember, a detailed engagement action plan will require organizational investments. In my experience, Ive often seen leaders who were reluctant to endorse a survey early on once the survey launches, they are eager to change the company culture overnight.An action plan that is too ambitious will create organizational fatigue. Organizational follow up and follow through are key to successful implementation - and key to how your employees will judge your survey efforts.Lesson 7 Spend less up front - implement more. Invest less in your technology vendor and more in post-survey action planning its more important to concentrate on the interpretation, action plan, follow through, communication and branding.Dont spend a lot on survey bells and whistles If it fails, it will not because of failure to collect the right data it will be a failure to properly interpret the results, poor prioritization the lack of an action plan and follow up.To summarize it is vital to link employee engagement to high performance, not simply to make your employees happy (although that is often a by-product of engagement), but as an initiative to engage your employees in your business - to help drive business successAuthor BioBob Kelleher is a noted speaker, thought leader, and author of the just-released of LOUDER THAN WORDS 10 Practical Employee Engagement Steps That Drive Results, which climbed to the 3 Workplace book, 5 HR book, and 12 Management book on Amazon. Bob Kelleheris also the founder and CEO of The Employee Engagement Group and consultant on the subjects of employee engagement, workforce trends, and leadership.

Five ways to make your employees feel valued

Five ways to make yur employees feel valuedFive ways to make your employees feel valuedI once had a boss tell me that I should learn to pat myself on the back.Aside from the physical limitations involved in that,this welches said during a conversation about my performance,where he mentioned in passing that I had exceeded expectations. He explained that he didnt see the need to offer any recognition, because he hadnt received it earlier in his career.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThat experience deckenfries with me as I started todevelop my own leadershipphilosophy. There certainly is truth to finding internal motivators and not relying on others to develop your self-worth. With that said, I believe a managers role is to create a positive, productive environment that serves and supports team members. It doesnt require extraordinary effort or expense to achieve this goal and the results are worth it.Here are five ways to make your employees feel valued at work1. SHOW GRATITUDEPeople want to feel appreciated for what they do, especially by their managers. Thats because leaders have a broader view of organizational goals andevaluate employee performance, so their praise feels particularly relevant and lets employees know theyre on the right track. Here are some guidelines for expressing gratitude at workClearly state what your team member did well, how it relates to her unique strengths, and how it helps the organization. (In general, make it more about her amazing qualities and less about how it helped you- i.e., Your quick and creative thinking helped the event go off without a hitch, is way better than You saved the day- thanks).You should say it more often than you think so long as youre always speaking authentically and specifically.My favorite way to show gratitude is a handwritten note. In plus-rechnen to the written message, the note itself shows an investment of your time. It brings me a lot of joy to see the note on an employees bulletin board later because Ill know that it was meaningful to her.Still not convinced about the significance of such a simple act of gratitude? In aHarvard Business Review article, Professors Francesca Gino and Adam Grant shared the results of an experiment where fundraisers who received personal thanks from their manager for their efforts and contributions increased their outreach metrics by 50%.Recognition and gratitude strengthen feelings of self-confidence and motivation and reinforce a sense of purpose.2. PROVIDE LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIESThe best bosses look for ways to augment their team members growth with external professional development opportunities, such as attending industry conferences, joining a professional association, or gaining a certification. As a manager, you may have limited resources, so focusing these resources on employees who exceed expectations s hows an investment in their potential.Dont forget Plenty ofprofessional growth and learning opportunitiesexist within your organization, too. You can take your direct report to coffee to talk about his career goals or introduce her to another senior leader in the organization for a mentoring chat. When appropriate, invite the person to attend a high-level meeting with you to learn about a new area, or ask her to lead a strategy meeting on your behalf.When you personally participate in your employees learning and professional growth, you show you believe in them and want to help prepare them for their future success.3. CARE ABOUT YOUR TEAM MEMBERS AS PEOPLEIn my first managerial role, I made the mistake of focusing solely on the work. At that stage in my career, I believed conversations about extracurricular activities interfered with my lengthy to-do list.After receiving some wise counsel from my boss, I learned I needed to demonstrate that I cared about my team members as individua ls before I expected their best work.By asking them about their weekends, their families, and their hobbies- and sharing tidbits about my own- I built trusting relationships. That allowed us to better understand our experiences outside the officeand helped us work together more effectively in the office, too.4. MAKE TIME FOR YOUR TEAM MEMBERSYou know the feeling when you have a list of things to finish in one 30-minute block on your calendar- and right then an employee stops by. Do you give the person time to ask their question or share their story, or do you tell him now is not a good time?How you respond in that moment defines you as a leader. Your facial expressions,body language, and words will affect whether your employees feel supported by you- and it will impact their willingness to return the next time they have a question. Even if you cant meet right then, offer a time slot where you can connect later in the day.Remember, this distraction is your job as a leader of people.Y ou can create moreproductive interactionswith team members by proactively connecting with them, ideally in person. Walk the halls and have some questions ready to engage them. These are a few that I like to useWhats new?Its open-ended enough that they can respond with whatever feels right at that moment.What fires have you had to put out today/this week?This gives you a chance to understand what your team members face in their work and how you can help remove obstacles.How can I help support you right now?This shows you care (see 3) and creates a shared commitment to their success.Of note, I told my team in advance I planned to do this, so they didnt think I was checking up on them. And I add notes to my calendar to preserve time to WTH (walk the halls, ahem), so I can prioritize these conversations.Of note, I told my team in advance I planned to do this, so they didnt think I was checking up on them. And I add notes to my calendar to preserve time to WTH (walk the halls, ahem), so I can prioritize these conversations.5. CELEBRATE IN BIG AND LITTLE WAYSDo you know the expression that the little things are the big things? Its true at work, too.Recognize your team members work anniversaries or birthdays. (Im a fan of balloons or treats at their desk so others stop by to join the celebration). Host a pizza party for the whole team when a sale closes, break out ice cream mid-afternoon for a surprise treat to bring everyone together, or organize a monthly coffee break with no work agenda.If you are looking for a more elaborate celebration, create a new tradition in your workplace. At our office, we started aNew Years Eve partyon the last day of the fundraising year to recognize the years accomplishments this could be easily adapted for your companys founders day or another special date.Whatever the occasion, find reasons to celebrate and bring joy to work.Try using one of these ideas each day for a week and see how it goes. Then you can start to add in others as yo u get a sense of what works best for you and your team.Finally, it is important to mention that you can and should ask your employees how they like to be recognized and what makes them feel most appreciated. (This can happen as part of aStay conversationwhen they first join your organization and throughout their tenure.) Ultimately, if your employees feel that you and the organization have invested in them personally, their job satisfaction and personal growth will increase, as will their work outcomes. And that all deserves a pat on the back for everyone.This article first appeared on Career Contessa.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

NASAs Mars Ice Challenge Heats Up

NASAs Mars Ice Challenge Heats Up NASAs Mars Ice Challenge Heats Up NASAs Mars Ice Challenge Heats UpSo you want to go to Mars? So does NASA, but they could use some help, and recently, they received it in the form of the 10 student teams that signed up to compete in NASAs Mars Ice Challenge.With the surface of Mars largely covered in ice, it is clear that drilling through that ice will be a major challenge for future colonists, astronauts, and others if they want to obtain water for all of its obvious benefits. Accordingly, the competition consisted of teams competing at simulated Martian ice stations set up in Langleys research aircraft hangar. Layers of material and solid blocks of ice made up each station, and students were asked to design and build their own equipment in order to drill.Its a year-long process but if yure one of the universities picked, its two water extraction days in competition and a paper and a poster also make up your score, says Ben Zinser, who had just sch liffed his sophomore year as a mechanical engineering major when he competed with first-place winner Northeastern University. Theyre trying to simulate a situation where there is about half of a meter of ice to get through thats overburdened with a mixture of clay, silt, and sand, and underneath is ice.Northeastern engineering students, winners of NASAs 2018 Mars Ice Challenge, with professor Taskin Padir (left). Image NASA Langley / David C. BowmanThroughout the year, students write a series of proposals and explain their designs as part of the overall process, says Zinser. We used SolidWorks to help with the first part, he says. As you progress, you would later get $5,000 to begin building your system, later you write a mid-point paper on progress, and then $5,000 more comes later.In the end, the pool of applicants was whittled down tenteams for the June 5-7 final competition held at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA.For You Top 10 Space Missions Set to Explore New Fronti ersZinsers team definitely felt the heat as the competition neared but had the benefit of a summer term to do significant test runs. We used concrete cylinders and filled a bag with water. We put chunks of cylinders with a sack of dirt above it, trying to simulate the best we could what the competition would be like, he says.Arriving at Langley Research Center, Zinser says you quickly realize this isnt really about where you finish or place and more about a community of engineers that have a common goal. All these teams have been at it all year, he says. Youre excited that youll get to talk with them and learn what they did and youre around all these people who have this same interest.The most suspenseful part of the competition for the Northeastern team was the water extraction segment of the competition. Their strategy employed a two-tool system. One tool was an augur that drilled through the dirt and then we would insert an extractor through the hole which was essentially a tube, he says. At the tip of the tube was aluminum and we put resistors in. Getting very hot, they melted the ice at the bottom of the hole and we ultimately saw water get to the surface.In the end they were successful but there were many anxious moments along the way. You have to remember that our team tried to be one of the final teams picked last year and we didnt even make it, he says. We waited, waited. And then came a single drop of water, Just a single drop at first. But, when we saw it, we let out a cheer. That single drop was one of the best moments Ive ever been a part of.They would end up with 1,370 milliliters of water extracted the first day, Zinser says, the most of any team, and 1,839 milliliters the second day, when the competition dictated they use remote control, he says. The teams scores for their paper and poster were also tops, enough to make them this years champions, an honor that was very gratifying.But another reward was to come.After the competition, NASA had al l the teams in a big lecture hall for a discussion and you just get a great feeling from the bond you have with the other students trying to do something that no else has done, he says. No one has been to Mars and NASA genuinely is looking for your ideas, not just to have a competition for schools. Theyre taking you seriously and all the teams took each other seriously. You just felt something special being in that hall.Eric Butterman is independent writer.Read moraA Cheap Way to Convert Vapor into Fresh Drinking WaterWhats It Like for an Engineer to Work at a StartupThe Great Ocean Cleanup Begins For Further DiscussionNo one has been to Mars and NASA genuinely is looking for your ideas, not just to have a competition for schools. Ben Zinser, Northeastern University