A publication by Paysavvy

The Ultimate Guide to Encouraging Employee Engagement

Table of Contents

03 The Curious Question of Culture

05 Why Employee Engagement Matters

07 Perks

13Recognition

16Appreciation

18Get Everyone on Board

21 Conclusion

22 Resources

Chapter One:The Curious Question of Culture

Now and then, we all have a case of the Mondays. But for an

alarming number of employees, that feeling of lassitude lasts all

week long. Only 13 percent of the workforce report feeling “highly

engaged” at work, despite the continued efforts of HR professionals

to combat this challenge.

You’ve built a ball pit and designed the best wellness

program ever … what else is there?

Corporate culture is owned by everyone and as such, it

can be a nebulous thing to take hold of, hard to define and

harder still to create. The bigger your business becomes,

the more real that challenge gets. But continued,

sustainable growth depends on a culture that fosters

employee engagement.

Want to put your own wellness program in place?

Our guide can get you started.

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Enter this eBook. We explain why a strategic HR department should

emphasize employee engagement, then run down three key aspects

of creating a positive work atmosphere: perks, recognition, and

appreciation. After a little light reading, you’ll be well-positioned to

take your team’s engagement to the next level. Need an action plan?

This is our proposal.

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Chapter Two

Why Employee Engagement Matters

Nine-to-five is a thing of the past: today, employees give companies more than the requisite eight hours and, thanks to email, they’re often ‘at work’ long after they’ve left the office. As a result, the demand for a positive corporate culture is greater than ever.

Some companies take culture seriously. Take Zappos, of

nap room and ball pit fame. A regular on round-ups of best

places to work, this online shoe supplier conducts their job

interviews with vodka shots and decorates bathrooms with urine

charts. In fact, these peculiarities are mandated by one of Zappos’

key core values: to “create fun and a little weirdness.”

Of course, it can be difficult to tell how weirdness translates to profits,

Feeling a little overwhelmed? Check out Balancing Act: The

HR Professional’s Guide to Achieving Work-Life Balance.

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harder still to see why urine charts or vodka shots

contribute to a business meeting its larger objectives.

But the truth is, engaged employees perform better.

When team members believe in their company’s

mission, cause, and purpose, they feel more motivated.

The business’s success starts to feel personal … and

that, of course, is a recipe for growth.

The approach is working for Zappos, seeing as the

company generates over two billion dollars in annual

revenue. Thousands of people apply to work there

every year, proving that culture, in many cases, trumps

compensation: “Salaries are competitive,” former employee Ian

Christian Myers explains, “but not industry leading.” Zappos can

poach the best of the best, without paying exorbitant wages,

because of the emphasis they have placed on company culture.

That means that if HR professionals don’t privilege a culture of

employee engagement, they’ll lose out in the coming war for talent.

Disengaged employees are more likely to leave and may, depending

on their level of disillusionment, badmouth the business—making it

harder still to attract top level players. Situating a company for

success, quite simply, means taking care of your team first.

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How do other People and Culture pros engage team members? Read “10 HRInfluencers You Should Follow on Linkedin” now!

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Chapter Three

Perks

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In the war for talent, unexpected employee perks can set companies apart. Clif Bar provides its employees with concierge services for things like haircuts. Staff.com holds a video game day for all of its remote workers. Over at FlexJobs, staff members receive stipends for technology needs, house- cleaning services, and energy efficient lightbulbs.

What gives? Why do benefits, especially unorthodox ones, matter so

much to employees?

Kevin Shen, one of our very own Paysavvants, recently received a

paid day off to celebrate his birthday. “It made me feel appreciated,”

he says, “and it shows how the company cares for their employees.

Often people will think it’s just one day and brush it off, but

it’s the little things that matter.”

The same is true of having a haircut at work. When you

offer unusual, useful perks, you show employees that you

recognize they have concerns and priorities outside of

the job itself—and that those things are important too.

Follow Clif Bar’s lead and there’s an additional bonus:

you’re sure to have a well-groomed team.

Need a little inspiration? Consider the following forward-

thinking perks and how they might connect to your

company’s core values.

Education

» Tuition reimbursements

» Book club allowance

» Shared Kindles

» Company library

» Free lecture tickets

» Conference budget

» Job-shadowing opportunities

Remember: Perks don’t replace more standard

benefits offerings. Is your company’s package competitive? Check out our Guide to Employee

Benefits in Canada.

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Charity

» Matched donations

» Charitable dollar bonuses

» Paid time off to volunteer

Work-Life Balance

» Unlimited vacation time

» Flexible work hours

» Telecommuting options

» Catered lunches

» Paid birthdays off

Fun

» Ping pong tables, putting greens, or ball pits

» Monthly team building activities

» Company camping retreat

» Game room

» Pet-friendly office

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» Holiday parties

» Picnic lunch

Environment

» Subsidized transit passes

» Grants for energy efficient lightbulbs

» Recycling initiatives and rewards

Wellness» Lunch time yoga

» Mid-day meditation breaks

» Subsidized wellness passes

» Standing desks

» Nap rooms

» Company masseuse

» Ergonomics consultations

» Walking club

Deep breaths. With our guide, meditation doesn’t

have to be intimidating.

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But remember: nap pods, standing desks, and catered lunches don’t

create a culture of engagement—at least not on their own. No

amount of free sushi will make an employee feel valued and a

massage chair won’t make up for a rotten manager. These

increasingly popular perks may point to a company’s governing

values, but make no mistake: they don’t replace those values.

According to Jimmy Chion, a designer at the corporate culture icon

IDEO, too many companies confuse ball pits and office chefs for

what really matters—a work environment that engages employees.

“IDEO doesn’t have many of the lavish perks that many Silicon Valley

startups like to tout,” he explains. “Most of us could, without much

friction, get jobs at other companies with higher pay and more perks.

But we don’t because we can create

a lot of impact through our work

here.” What perks IDEO does offer

are meant to foster an atmosphere

of collaboration. As an example,

Chion describes IDEO’s approach to

free food: “We have tea time every

Wednesday at 3 pm, where everyone

converges on the baked goods and

facilitated serendipity happens.”

The lesson here? When it comes to company culture, perks are a

worthwhile investment, but only when in service of larger values.

And importantly, they can’t replace or substitute for what matters

“We have tea time every Wednesday at 3 pm, where everyone converges on the baked goods and facilitated serendipity happens.”—Jimmy Chion, IDEO

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most: work that gives each employee a sense of accomplishment

and purpose.

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Chapter Four

Recognition

With that in mind, validating employee achievements becomes all the more critical. Team members need to be regularly recognized for a job well done—otherwise, a free haircut doesn’t mean much. It can be as simple as telling someone you’ve noticed their hard work and thanking them for their continued contributions to the team. The most powerful praise, however, is pointed, personalized, and timely.

1. Pointed“Great job,” isn’t going to cut it long term. Generic praise like this

reads as insincere, since it doesn’t take a lot of thought or effort.

For more on recognition, read “How Celebrating

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Workplace Milestones Improves EmployeeEngagement.”

Instead, train managers to be highly specific with their compliments.

And no, “Great job with those reports” isn’t sufficient either. What is

it about the employee’s work that has caught a manager’s attention

and why will it forward the business’s overall mission? Ask your team

leads to try something like, “Christina, thanks for adding so much

detail to this quarter’s sales reports. The data you compiled will help

us hit our revenue targets for the year!”

2. PersonalizedNote the personalization of the above compliment. At a bare

minimum, make sure that managers use the employee’s name.

Group accolades can chafe when one individual has been solely

responsible for a task, so you’ll want to cut down on throwaway

comments like, “A job well done by our Communications

department!” Instead, have managers focus their energy on

individualized feedback.

When it comes to larger team projects, ask them to target

unique praise to every player involved. That way, each

employee feels like his contributions are valued.

Want to take it a step further? Consider how an employee

prefers to be recognized. Maybe Jill loves applause– in

that case, make an announcement at a department

meeting. Is Prab somewhat shy? A thank you note on his

desk might be more appreciated.

Looking for a modern approach to performance management? Downloadour playbook now!

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3. TimelySeize the moment and stop saving praise for the annual performance

review. Those are outdated anyway! There’s no better time than the

present to recognize employees for a job well done. In fact, praise

means more when it’s timely … after all, that’s when the employee’s

efforts are fresh in everyone’s minds. Trust us: when it comes to

recognition, you want to do away with the idea of delayed

gratification. That all-star employee might not wait

around for praise, and could leave long before his next

performance review.

So what behaviours should managers recognize? There

are some clear indicators of performance, like when an

employee hits her sales targets or drives a five percent

increase to website traffic. But make sure your managerial

team doesn’t neglect the other stuff either. An employee

who tweets your company’s content updates helps to build the

brand. A five year milestone should certainly be celebrated. What

about the developer who brews coffee each and every morning? A

thank you is in order!

If you want to build an enduring team, train managers to take notice

of these little things. Because here’s the truth: for an overworked and

underappreciated employee, those efforts are far from insubstantial.

■

“7 Ways to Be a BetterManager and Leader”

has even more tips!

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thank

you

Chapter Five

Appreciation

The last part of the employee equation? Appreciation, plain and

engagement simple. Thatcomes back to what your parents said, all those

years ago: mind your Ps and Qs. Chances are that at least a few of your company’s managers aren’t saying ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ toteam members and though this may seem inconsequential, trust us: it can impact morale in a big way.

“While you may be the boss, you can and

should be polite when asking an employee to

do something for you,” writes Peter Economy,

an authority on leadership techniques. Sure,

the task will get done either way … but the

“While you may be the boss, you can and should be polite when asking an employee to do something for you.”—Peter Economy

Click to Tweet

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effort put into it? Well that just might differ substantially. So train your

managerial team to ask nicely!

The same goes for expressing gratitude. However busy managers

might be, there’s always time for a simple ‘thank you.’ And as Dave

Skibini, CEO of SnapMD, notes, there’s no end to how many of those

you can give out: “Every business owner

has limited resources to compensate

their employees for their work, but

every business owner has an unlimited

supply of ‘thank yous.’”

John Reh, a leading business executive,

takes things a step further. He advises

that managers issue instructions rather

than commands. Why? “When you give

an order,” he explains, “you do not allow

the other person any latitude to

thinkabout what to do or how to do it.” As a result, team members are not

afforded the opportunity to grow professionally. “Good managers

give instructions,” Reh continues. “Instead of telling them what to do,

you tell them what you want done.” Try and get your management

team to make the switch. Employees will appreciate it!

■

“Good managers give instructions. Instead of telling them what to do, you tell them what you want done.”—John Reh

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Chapter Six

Get Everyone on Board

It’s not rocket science. Employees aremost engaged when their work challenges them, they’re granted autonomy in tackling tasks, and their contributions are valued. Easy enough, right? Yet for many managers, this proves a difficult task. Whether it’s fear of perceived favouritism, insecurities over their own position, or justa lack of time, simple everyday acts of recognition and appreciation often fall by the wayside.As a result, HR departments may meet with managerial

resistance—and even outright sabotage—when

attempting to implement a few of the above ideas. The

first step, therefore, is to make sure that the executive

leadership is on board.

These days, more and more HR professionals are taking their place

in the C-Suite. Find out how!

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Managers may feel underrecognized themselves. Since they perform

without constant praise, why should their direct reports not do the

same? In order to prevent this toxic feedback loop, get execs to show

some appreciation. Ask them to thank managers for their work,

using the same techniques outlined above. Through their example,

senior leaders can remind managers to pay it forward.

Next, ensure every manager understands the importance

of employee recognition. As mentioned above, only 13

percent of employees feels highly engaged at work. Less

than half would recommend their employer to a friend. That

means that over 50 percent of your staff could be publicly

badmouthing the business. And when they’re at work? Well,

you can bet they’re not giving their best efforts.

But the fix really is simple. Appreciation and recognition are

key to employee engagement. Managers can make team

members feel valued and create a sense of purpose within

their departments, through something as easy as the

occasional ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’

Yet even a simple request to be more mannerly might receive

pushback: some team leads think saying ‘please’ diminishes their

authority, while others worry that a ‘thank you’ will lead to

expectations of a raise or promotion. Still more dismiss a ‘culture of

politeness,’ insisting that it fosters lies and secrecy, an atmosphere

where being kind is more important than being open.

Thank you

Please

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Our answer is simple—and yours should be too. Politeness doesn’t

mean dishonesty, nor is it the equivalent of a verbal contract. Saying

‘please’ and ‘thank you’ doesn’t preclude your managerial team from

having those hard conversations with their staff. It just means that on

a day-to-day basis, they’re treating employees like people, offering

the same level of decency expected outside of the workplace.

Consider leading a series of management workshops where you

can impart these lessons. Everyone owns company culture, which

means that even one negative manager can hold the business back.

■

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ConclusionSenior leadership agonized over which five words to

select as core values, then sweated about how each

would be defined. The Marketing department papered

them all over the company website, added each term to

the social media channels. Over in the recently renamed

People and Culture department, you’ve been tweaking

job postings to reflect the company’s newly articulated

brand.

But it means nothing if your team doesn’t believe in it.

Culture isn’t just perks and neatly articulated core values.

It’s the day-to-day way the business operates, how every

individual feels when he comes into work. It’s more than

a mission statement, no matter how well-defined or neatly framed.

The three-pronged approach to employee engagement—which

takes into account perks, recognition, and appreciation—will ensure

that your employees want to come to work every day. And that, in

turn, will make your business better than ever.

■

Start strong by hiring for cultural fit.QA Your Q&A: New Interviewing

and Hiring Techniques for HR Professionals shows you how.

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Resources

The Ultimate Guide to Encouraging Employee Engagement 22www.paysavvy.com

QA Your Q&A: New Interviewing and Hiring Techniques for HR Professionals

How can you improve the hiring process? We asked intrepid interviewers and recruitment rock stars for their best advice.

Bringing Mindfulness to the Workplace

Improve workplace communication and foster collaboration: it all begins with mindfulness.

Employee Performance Management Playbook

Modern employee performance management has come a long way, so if you’re still filling out quarterly reviews, you might want to rethink your approach.

Balancing Act: The HR Professional’s Guide to Achieving Work-Life Balance

Deep breaths, harried HR experts of the world: help is on the way! With our comprehensive action plan, you can find better work-life balance starting today.

Designing an Effective Employee Wellness Program

Investing in employee health is good for business. But with so many wellness options available, how can you design a program that’s the right fit?

Know someone who might find

this useful? Share this eBook!

6 Things to Consider When Developing Your Time Off Policy

From bereavement leave to jury pay, this video covers key questions around paid time off policies.

How Forward-Thinking Is Your HR Strategy?

Is your company rocketing ahead or stuck in a rut? Take the quiz to see where your HR strategy currently stands.

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