Employee engagement programs are failing Australian workers because they lack alignment with key business strategies.
That’s according to research from Right Management, which found that just 6 per cent of staff are showing total commitment to participating in out-dated engagement programs.
Bridget Beattie, general manager Australia and New Zealand at Right Management, believes the problem has emerged because the programs are relying on old methods.
Workers now have greater flexibility when it comes to where, when, and how they’re working, meaning it’s more important than ever for companies to keep employees motivated and engaged.
The research found that only 1 in 3 employees are truly engaged in their work, while over 80 per cent said they want to leave their job.
Employees are switching off because engagement programs have limited strategic insight, are obsessed with comparisons rather than improvement, and lack the speed and agility to keep up with the real time pace of the business.
They’re also suffering from survey fatigue, and are sick of reports that end up going nowhere.
Beattie suggested organisations take these steps to make sure their employee engagement program is up to scratch:
- Use an optimised approach to surveys – don’t default to the industry standardised approach
- Avoid over-emphasising the role of the manager – look openly at the executive committee and those who develop action plans to make sure new ideas and strategies are actually implemented
- Utilise available technology for ‘on the spot’ analysis of results in order to enable strategy planning
