Get Rid of Employee Disengagement Once And For All
By Steve Gahagen
My wife is an RN and has a passion to help moms and babies begin their journey together in a positive and healthy way. She, and the vast majority of her colleagues, want to create great experiences for families at one of the most epic moments of their lives. They chose their profession because they felt called to make a difference.
However, with the continual changes to health care and the drive to be competitive, I sometimes wonder if their corporation is trying to write a manual on how to create low morale and a disengaged staff. From raising care expectations at the same time as cutting staff to axing the employee picnic because of a budget shortfall—the strategies have not led to a thriving culture.
Culture is important to employee engagement. It’s not just pay and benefits that create a positive work culture, but the ability that employees have to use their strengths and bring passion to their work. In a world in which more people are working from home, employee engagement and culture will be even more important to motivate employees to contribute their best even if is from their sofa at home.
The Gallup organization has shown that a culture in which an employees strengths are valued and utilized is one ingredient to an engaged organizational culture. Allowing employees to work in their sweet spot the majority of the time, increases engagement, production and the sense of being valued. A strengths culture is contagious.
Questions to consider
One way companies can grow a positive culture is by using the annual review time to clarify whether an employees strengths are being utilized. Here are a few questions that could be helpful:
Of your signature themes, which two describe you best?
What strengths to you use the most in your current role?
What do you find most satisfying about your work?