Today we hear a lot about employees being a company’s most important asset, employee engagement and employee empowerment.  Sounds like jargon or corporate-speak.  What does it mean and what are the implications for business?

Read any article on the subject and you’ll soon find yourself bogged down in terms such as the psychological contract, human capital and organisational citizenship to name but a few.

At a very simple level, if employees have job satisfaction, believe in the company’s products or services, are committed to doing a good job (and going the extra mile), have no desire to leave and will speak positively about the company, they can be said to be engaged. 

And an engaged workforce is considerably more likely to be professional, productive and deliver the Holy Grail that is improved business performance. 

Extensive employee research by organisations as diverse as the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), the Institute of Employment Studies (IES), Melcrum and Accenture, has repeatedly demonstrated the links between the way people are managed, employee attitudes and business performance.  Such research has revealed that the main drivers of employee engagement are:

  • Leadership
  • The organisation’s culture and values
  • 2-way communication – freedom to share views and voice ideas to which managers listen; feeling well informed about what is happening in the organisation
  • Involvement in the decision-making process
  • Resources and autonomy to perform well with opportunities to develop the job
  • Promotion prospects
  • Faith in managers and a belief that they are committed to the organisation
  • Work-life balance

It’s true, employees are your most important asset and you neglect them at your peril.  Most of the above bullet points are HR and line management issues but as a marketing professional I am very interested in the area of communication.  All too often companies focus on communicating externally with customers and prospects and fail to devote enough attention to their workforce. 

You may have a great product line and a recognisable brand but, if your employees don’t understand it or believe in it, then it’s going to seriously hold you back.  If you fail to communicate key messages on a regular basis then you run the risk of turning this vital community from ambassadors and advocates into saboteurs. 

As Melcrum Publishing found out during the course of its research: “According to seven out of 10 survey respondents, communicating a clear vision of the future is the most important task of senior leaders in driving employee engagement.” (2005)

If an organisation is going through a merger or acquisition, launching a new product or service line, or revitalising its brand, then getting support from employees during the crucial early stages could make the difference between success and failure. Ideally all employees should be ‘on message’ but, at the very least, all customer-facing staff should be up to speed to make sure that they deliver on your brand promise every time they have contact with customers. 

At the risk of repeating myself – do not underestimate the importance of employee communication.  Whatever the size of your organisation, make sure you communicate with your employees.  Don’t just pay lip service – make it thorough, inclusive, timely and appropriate.  Depending on the size of your company and the nature of the campaign, it might require the involvement of specialist external agencies liaising with internal teams to come up with the best approach.  It could mean workshops or training events but it could just as easily be a regular newsletter, email bulletin, company meeting, team meetings, an up-to-date intranet or even a Facebook page!

If you’d like to find out more, contact jayne@marketingwithzest.co.uk