Employee Engagement - Not Really

I have posted several articles on employee engagement over the past 2 years and what companies needed to do to retain and grow their human capital. Well, in the past year the recession has hit almost every company except for IBM and McDonald's (at least from a stock standpoint). Because companies have pared down their workforces, reduced costs etc, employees have become disillusioned with their employers. So what have been the driving factors for this decline in employee engagement and retention? Here are some current numbers to reflect on and digest:

• pay and bonuses - only 41% feel this is fair*
• managements' ability to grow the business - only 29% agree they can*
• advancement opportunities - 28% feel they can grow with their current company*
• retention - only 14% said they will stay*
• high frustration level with company politics
• recessional issues have caused employees to become nervous about job security
• high executive pay - more issues with spreading the wealth down stream

Are these factors that you face in your company and as a human resource strategist how are you dealing with these issues and are you driving the executive team to look deep into the organizations culture on how to manage people?

Your thoughts on this subject would be appreciated to share with other HR practitioners.

* US Strategic Rewards Survey 2009

Sweat the Small Stuff

When it comes to company culture and having a reputation that attracts and retains quality people, the small stuff is the important stuff. If the boss adds a little to the expense account, maybe the CFO adds a little to the balance sheet. If the person in the cube next to you treats a vendor poorly, then maybe that vendor adds a little extra to the invoice next time - or tells 100 people not to do business with you. In November, CBS on line had an article entitled "Bad Behavior Contagious, Study Finds" - highlighting some of the research on this phenomena. For me and others I am sure, steeped in social psychology and the impact of the social norms - it's a no-brainer. But most folks blow off the effects of small behaviors.

Keeping your eye on the small stuff is probably the single biggest thing a company can do to influence culture.