2019 HR Conference2019 HR Conference

Practices to Enhance Employee Performance and Engagement

October 2, 2019Presented by Amy Ryan

2019 HR Conference

Set Up

• Experience & Engagement• Employee Life Cycle• Engagement at each stage• Engagement at top companies • Current trends & challenges

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2019 HR Conference

Employee Experience

• Employee experience - everything the employee does or feels on the job– The better the experience, the more engaged the employee

• Ties together efforts to attract, engage and develop employees

• Positive employee experience depends on:– Company culture

– Recognition

– Relationships

– Learning opportunities

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2019 HR Conference

Employee Engagement

• Employee Engagement - basic psychological needs that must be met in order to perform work well – Knowing what's expected

– Having the materials needed

– Doing work that fits strengths

– Connecting work to a higher purpose

• Engaged employees show up - physically, emotionally, cognitively– Enthusiastic about what they have to do

– Naturally find ways to improve and excel

– Generate creativity, innovation and excellence

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Attract

Hire

Onboard

EngagePerform

Develop

Depart

2019 HR Conference

Attract

• The candidate experience• Aspects prospective employees will look at:

– Career section on company website – user-friendly, reflective of brand– Employee reviews (current and former) - why do employees stay/leave– Public image and reputation– Competitive benefits plan and comp packages– Social Media / Professional Profiles

• Ensure employer and consumer branding is consistent across channels

• Highlight elements of culture to attract talent

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2019 HR Conference

Hire

• Efficient, organized, timely, and respectful recruiting and interview process

• Realistic job preview - the positives/challenges of the job• Share commitment to diversity and inclusion• Clarity of skills and competencies necessary • Incorporate brand and tie to culture/values • Determine if the organization/role meet

candidate’s needs & align with their values• Follow up with everyone

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2019 HR Conference

Onboard

• Start onboarding before day one• Effectively plan first 90 days to establish positive experience and engagement• Make the process cross-departmental• Arrange one-on-one time with direct managers• Set expectations and goals early• Company culture, values, and principles• Absence of effective onboarding (source: LinkedIn):

– 4% of employees leave a job after a disastrous first day– 16% of employees quit within the first week– 22% of all new hires resign within the first 45 days – 31% of employees quit their job within the first 6 months

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2019 HR Conference

Engage

• In Gallup's framework, engagement comes before performance because it is foundational to consistent excellence

• Engaged employees are passionate and feel connected to the company

• Create engaging employee experiences to welcome new employees

• Ascertain if employees regularly show up every day enthusiastic about their work

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2019 HR Conference

Perform

• Ensure performance reviews seem fair and accurate • Set clear goals and expectations • Provide “real time” feedback and coaching• Educate employees on performance management and

compensation philosophy• Coach for future performance• Discuss growth, adjust goals, motivate• Reward & recognize strong performance

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2019 HR Conference

Develop

• Foster connections between employees to allow mutual learning

• Obtain continuous feedback from employees about aspirations and what the organization can do to help push them to the next step

• Recognize that many people “learn by doing” or experiential learning; chance to step outside career comfort zone

• Utilize gamification - learn through play

• Establish mentorship programs

• Offer independent learning opportunities

• Create career progression paths

• Build a culture of learning that’s integrated

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2019 HR Conference

Depart

• Create a positive exit experience– Transition of responsibilities

– Exit survey/interview

– Recognition

• Maintain continuous low-touch engagement

• Great engagement during separation helps capture more boomerang hires (rehires)

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2019 HR Conference2019 HR Conference

Top Company Engagement Practices

2019 HR Conference

Engagement and Job Fit

• Zappos conducts two sets of interviews– Hiring manager who focuses on resume and ability; HR team who focuses on culture fit

– Offer all trainees $2,000 to quit after the first week of training

• Buffer has a 45-day trial period, called Buffer Bootcamp, to determine “fit”– Opportunity to know each other before committing to a long-term relationship

• Chipotle started a restaurateur program for its employees– Hourly crew become managers - bonus, stock options, and $10,000 for training others

• The Walt Disney Company - experience required: childhood dreams

• Southwest Airlines zeros in on behavior, not just the resume – Fly candidates in for an interview; gate/flight crew report on attitude and behavior

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2019 HR Conference

Culture of Innovation

• 3M implemented “15 Percent Time” to use some work time to chase rainbows and hatch ideas – Scientist Art Fry invented the Post-It Note

• Google started “20% Time” program– Gmail, Google Earth, and Google Talk

• Hewlett-Packard Labs givespersonal creative time – Created clear bandages and

optical films that reflect light

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2019 HR Conference

IKEA Effect

• When a person plays a partial role in building a product, they tend to assign a disproportionally higher value to the completed product

• The IKEA Effect concept applies to employee engagement– higher value on initiatives when they have

played a role – Employees are more likely to adopt, adapt,

and champion an idea/change/program

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2019 HR Conference2019 HR Conference

Current Employee Engagement Trends

2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Workforce engagement is on the rise• Gallup poll shows a slight uptick to 34% over recent years

when the percentage has hovered in the low 30’s• Actively disengaged workers is at an all time low– 13% of employees

• 53% of employees are simply not engaged– No innate connection to work/company– Risk of turnover

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Millennials, millennials, millennials• Share of workforce increasing greatly; trending to be 75% of the

workforce by 2030• Engagement strategies shifting to meet the needs of this group• Millennials (Gen Y) driven by:

– Open communication– Great work culture– Involvement with causes– Achieving purpose and fulfillment– Opportunities to learn– Collaborative work environment

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Introducing Generation Z• Engagement strategies will be revised• Gen Z looks for:– High-tech and high-touch– Expanded importance of D&I– Authenticity – Entrepreneurial – Self-directed approach to learning– Private workspace

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

More compassionate leadership• Higher levels of engagement come from employees who

work for a compassionate leader who is:– Authentic– Present– Has a sense of dignity– Holds others accountable– Leads with integrity– Shows empathy

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Feedback is no longer optional• Vast majority of employees who received little or no feedback were actively disengaged

• Engagement increases with examples of constructive feedback; even more when given feedback about strengths

• High-performers are 29% more likely to use in-the-moment manager feedback than low-performers

• Guidelines for feedback:– Avoid the sandwich - People have been conditioned to expect that; waiting for shoe to drop

– Combine expectations and assurances - Help employees understand expectations while providing assurances

– Keep it fresh - Give timely advice; delaying it causes the impact to be lower

• Importance of peer feedback– Completing reviews in a vacuum doesn’t give managers a chance to give employees feedback from peers

who have insights into their performance

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Work/life balance is now Work/life blend• SHRM found that the best companies are

embracing flexibility• No longer definitive reasons to require

people to be in the office every day – Or for work to be done between 9am and 5pm

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• More companies will continue on this path as long as the numbers continue to show that it’s a successful employee engagement trend

HB1

Slide 23

HB1 I just read Rachel Hollis' book 'Girl, Stop Apologizing' and in there, she talks about being being Centered instead of work/life balance. Balance makes us think that we're going to be able to have 100% awesome work and 100% awesome life, but there are opportunity costs to every investment in our time. We give up somethingto do something else. Focusing on what is important to you and then working around that. Realizing that someitmes work will take more time, sometimes personal life takes priority - and we need to be able to shift accordingly. Not sure if you can use that in here, but FYI. :)Heather Binger, 9/19/2019

2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

People analytics joining engagement trends• These metrics allow companies to gather actionable insights for

their workforce– Progress to gain these solutions is slow – people analytics seen as high

priority, but organizations aren’t moving to invest in it• Companies using people analytics find a deeper understanding

into areas such as recruitment, performance, and employee mobility – Provides awareness into what is missing from your employee experience – Assists to find the right solutions to lower employee turnover rate – Because of this, businesses now have the capabilities to pre-empt disaster

before it happens

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2019 HR Conference

Current Engagement Trends

Technology will focus on the employee• Away from the classic “competitive

evaluation” model that harshly ranked people

• Adapting the “coaching and development” model that embraces a growth mindset

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• PM software allows managers– Regular visibility into what drives their employees– Understand the challenges they face– Create opportunities for employee feedback

• Vital to stay agile and adapt to new industry trends in real time

2019 HR Conference

Challenges in Engagement

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40% of workforce understands company goals and strategies

Employees who receive recognition are 5 times more likely to stay at the organization

89% of employers think employees leave for more money but only 

12%  do

75% of employees quit their bosses, not their 

jobs

Highly engaged employees are 87% less 

likely to leave companies

Employees are 8 times more likely to stay when managers help them with their workload

HB3

Slide 26

HB3 Here's another alternative for listing text with lots of bullets.Heather Binger, 9/19/2019

2019 HR Conference

Technology & Engagement

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70% of Forbes Global 2000 companies implementing gamification strategies to 

boost engagement, retention, and revenues 

90% of employees are more productive with gamification, with 72% of them reporting it 

inspiring them to work harder and 95% enjoyed it 

78% of companies find digital and transformational leadership important, only 5% have strong programs in place

2019 HR Conference

A Continuous Effort

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Motivation doesn't last, neither does bathing, that's why I recommend both daily.

‐ Zig Ziglar

• Engagement is not a one time event• Challenge current levels and involve others to improve• Motivate and encourage engagement efforts throughout

employee life cycle