vector-thumb-up illustrationBelow is a briefing on some of the interesting employee engagement articles, blog posts, books, etc. that I came across last week.

 

 

Website: Business 2 Community
Article: Social Media Marketing’s Forgotten Audience: The Employee
Link: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/social-media-marketings-forgotten-audience-employee-0953744#!bvBei8
Author: Anik Hanson

Comment: Mr. Hanson wonders why more companies aren’t using social media as a tool in employee engagement. Given the amount of time people are spending on social media, why not embrace it as a way to share information with employees.

 

 

Website: Hay Group
Article: The new rules of engagement
Link: http://www.haygroup.com/ww/services/index.aspx?id=43985
Author: Hay Group

Comment: “Six ‘megatrends’ are transforming societies and the global business environment as we know it. Our ground-breaking Leadership 2030 research shows that these developments are changing how people work, what they care about in the workplace and what they need from their employers.” “Our report, The new rules of engagement, sets out in detail what the megatrends mean for businesses and engagement, and what you can do to adapt to them today.” The Megatrends are “1. Globalization 2.0,” “2. Environmental Crisis,” “3. Demographic Change,” “4. Individualism,” “5. Digitization,” and “6. Technological Convergence.”

To access the Executive Summary and/or the full Report, you must complete the free registration.

 

 

Website: Fast Company
Article: 10 THINGS YOU’RE DOING AT WORK THAT SAY “I DON’T CARE”
Link: http://www.fastcompany.com/3033229/work-smart/10-things-youre-doing-at-work-that-say-i-dont-care?partner=newsletter
Author:  Stephanie Vozza

Comment: “Even the most well-meaning among us will come across as not caring.” “The first step to showing more care is realizing the things you’re unknowingly doing that are sending the wrong message. Gordon shares 10 things that say “I don’t care,” and the actions you can take to reverse the perception.”

 

 

Website: The Globe and Mail
Article: Make your employees activists for your brand
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/leadership-lab/make-your-employees-activists-for-your-brand/article19767373/?cmpid=rss1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGlobeAndMail-Front+(The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Latest+News)
Author: Greg Power

Comment: “[R]ather than limit social media usage, employers should be enthusiastically promoting its benefits. Companies should encourage their people to become ambassadors and activists for their brands. If employers are going to place a bet, they should place it on the side of expecting the best behaviour instead of dreading the worst.” “Employee activism, a grassroots movement that goes beyond customer satisfaction and even engagement, is central to a company’s success, and is the underlying foundation for high-performing corporate cultures. Many employees are already engaged activists, defending their employers from criticism and acting as advocates, online and off.” “Three essential elements need to be in place to successfully build employee activism:” leadership, content, and a “social media policy and guidelines for your business.”

 

 

Website: Business 2 Community
Article: Don’t Just Gamify the Sales Funnel. Gamify the Employee Engagement Funnel
Link: http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/dont-just-gamify-sales-funnel-gamify-employee-engagement-funnel-0956668#!bvFEb4
Author: Gal Rimon

Comment: “This is a first post of three on the employee engagement funnel.” The employee engagement funnel consists of parts: Awareness (Know), Onboarding (Learn), Engagement (Do), Leadership (Lead Others), and Ambassador (Bring Others). The author says that companies should use gamification to drive the employee engagement funnel. While he offers suggestion for each part of the funnel, he could have offered a more robust explanations.

 

 

Website: Globoforce
Article: Are You Evolving With Your Employee Benefits?
Link: http://www.globoforce.com/gfblog/2014/are-you-evolving-with-your-employee-benefits/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+globoforce%2FNkqn+%28Globoforce+Blog%29
Author: Darcy Jacobsen

Comment: “[M]any companies are still underselling non-traditional benefits.” These benefits include “perks like flextime, working from home, wellness programs, shopping or entertainment discounts—and employee recognition.” “So consider featuring these benefits more prominently on your website careers page and in your recruitment strategy and really leveraging those benefits in your hiring process.”

 

 

Website: CFO
Article: To Optimize Talent, Sweat the Small Stuff
Link: http://ww2.cfo.com/analytics/2014/07/optimize-talent-sweat-small-stuff/
Author: John Boudreau

Comment: “Think about the employees that work for you in your finance department. I doubt you would say you don’t want them to be engaged and mindful, or that they can’t produce value beyond what your financial system can measure. The only question is, are you willing to invest real money to get that?” “[B]ig data may be up to the task. The Economist recently described how it’s now cost effective to mine massive data sets to build a mountain out of pebbles, by identifying “the right combination of tweaks capable of bringing about marginal changes that, when multiplied by a huge number of instances, or allowed to work over a long time, produce a significant effect.”

 

 

Website: Investors
Article:  Use Infographics To Improve Communication With Staff
Link: http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-in-success/073014-710991-up-engagement-adding-pictures-to-data-and-statistics.htm
Author: Amy Alexander

Comment: Infographics can be an alternative to traditional communication approaches. The author defines infographic and offers 6 tips for creating effective ones.

 

 

Website: CIO
Article: Tips for Measuring and Improving Employee Engagement
Link: http://www.cio.com/article/2459447/careers-staffing/tips-for-measuring-and-improving-employee-engagement.html
Author: Rich Hein

Comment: To develop an engagement strategy, companies must understand why engagement should be measured and what data should be tracked. The author offers tips to improve employee engagement: 1. Learn what motivates your employees? 2. Leadership should set goals and share their vision. 3. Provide timely, constructive feedback. 4. Make sure you have the right mangers. “5. Set clear expections”. “6. Conduct exit interviews.” 7. Empower employees. And 8. Consider using gamification.

 

 

Website: AtmanCo
Article: 4 WAYS FOR MANAGERS TO IMPROVE THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Link: http://www.atmanco.com/en/improve-working-environment/?utm_campaign=abonnement-blog-en&utm_content=6920784&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin
Author: Christine Chartrand

Comment: This article offers tips to improve your working environment. “1- Show a vulnerable side.” “2- Know the strengths of your employees and use them.” “3- Make time for group activities.” “4- Be aware of performance and give feedback.”

 

 

Website: Bookboon
Article: How Coaching can improve Employee Engagement
Link: http://bookboon.com/blog/2014/07/coaching-can-improve-employee-engagement/
Author: Anita Pickerden

Comment: After discussing employee engagement and how to improve it, the author says that coaching can help. Coaching starts with a positive mindset and offers a way to build trust with employees. The more mangers are trained on how to coach, the more effective they can be in conversations with their direct reports.

 

 

Website: New Brand Analytics (Blog)
Article: How to Measure Employee Engagement Using Social Listening
Link: http://www.newbrandanalytics.com/blog/2014/08/measure-employee-engagement-using-social-listening/
Author: Sherrie Mersdorf

Comment: While almost any company could use social listening, this article focuses restaurants as examples. The author says that by developing a way to monitor what is being communicated about your company through social media sites, a company can better understand employee engagement. Since employees directly impact customer satisfaction, monitoring social sites can be helpful in pinpointing problems. Whether problems or accolades are collected, it is important that the data be shared with employees.

 

 

Website: ATD (formerly ASTD)
Article: The Five Most Important Employee Engagement Needs
Link: http://www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2014/08/Webex-5-Most-Important-Employee-Engagement-Needs
Author: Andrew Graham

Comment: “[M]anagers usually have the most significant impact on engagement.” “Out of these five factors that contribute to engagement, employees generally have one dominant need, determined by their individual personalities, goals, and past experiences.” “1. Belonging.” “2. Enjoyment.” “3. Alignment.” “4. Recognition.” And “5. Advancement.”

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on these selections? What articles, blog posts, books, etc. can you recommend to other “Agents”?  Let’s talk about them in the comments below!

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

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