The Biggest Mistake in Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is often defined by the concept of marginal effort—the discretionary work employees choose to do beyond their required tasks. The level of this additional effort separates a highly productive employee from one who simply meets expectations. However, the most significant error in managing engagement isn't about misjudging performance; it's about misunderstanding its source.
Are We Missing Half of the Equation?
HR departments logically focus on what the organization can do to foster engagement. They invest in:
- Quality of leadership
- Fair compensation
- Recognition programs
- Necessary training
- Effectively communicated corporate values
While these corporate initiatives are valuable for creating a supportive work environment, they represent only one side of the engagement dynamic. The strategy is flawed because it completely ignores the role employees play in engaging themselves. This omission is the single biggest mistake in the field of employee engagement.
The Kennedy Analogy: What Can You Do for Your Company?
This one-sided corporate focus is the reverse of John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." Current engagement strategies almost entirely revolve around what the company can do for the employee, with no emphasis on what the employee can do for the company and for their own sense of purpose.
Internal vs. External Factors of Engagement
Consider two flight attendants on the same plane, employed by the same airline. They share the same pay scale, uniform, customers, and corporate engagement program. Yet, one is positive and enthusiastic, while the other is cynical and disengaged.
What accounts for the difference? It is not the external environment provided by the company. The difference is internal to each person. The most critical factor in employee engagement is the person doing the work.
The Dual Responsibility for Engagement
While organizations should strive to create an environment conducive to engagement, individuals hold the primary power. Every employee has the opportunity and the responsibility to take ownership of their own professional experience and do their best to build their own engagement, regardless of what the company is or isn't doing.