Employee engagement through executive education

What do you think of when you hear the words "employee engagement?"

People at your organization showing up because they have to: punching the clock and doing the bare minimum? Or do you think about, as Gallup describes it, "those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace?" Or, according to Willis Towers Watson, "employees' willingness and ability to contribute to company success?"

Can you point to individuals on your team who are enthusiastic about their work and willing to contribute to the company's success?

The disruption caused by COVID has definitely had effects for many organizations, both in employee engagement and culture erosion. While employees may have been disengaged in the past, the change, uncertainty, and upheaval of a worldwide pandemic has caused a whole new set of concerns.

The good news is that companies can easily reengage employees with something as simple as offering professional development opportunities. These can be created internally or offered through external vendors; topics can be presented through formal training or a more informal lunch and learn.

To drive engagement, you should focus your executive education on four distinct learning opportunities: onboarding, upskilling, leadership and well-being.

Onboarding

Employee engagement starts with recruitment. The way you interact with the people you interview for your organization sets the tone for long-term engagement and involvement. Once you hire the employee, it's critical to drive deep and meaningful connections with new hires from Day One, then provide ongoing support and resources that enable them to succeed. According to a survey by BambooHR, 31% of people leave a job within the first six months because they feel neglected, overwhelmed, underappreciated and underqualified.

And according to the Human Capital Institute, 69 percent of employees say they are likely to stay with a company for at least three years after a positive onboarding experience. Companies that are intentional about how they integrate employees from the very start end up having a happier and more productive workforce, reducing turnover and retaining clients at a higher rate.

Upskilling

Technology is advancing exponentially. Employees can often feel disengaged because their skills are not keeping up with the rate of change of technology. Couple that with the fact that AI and machine learning are automating up to 30% of people's jobs, and you have a workforce that needs regular upskilling training.

Upskilling can be focused on how to be more effective using company technology, and it can also lend itself to your team learning new, complementary skills and acquiring certifications that support their career growth.

Leadership

Often, the best "doer" is promoted into a management role and then not given any sort of people management skills training for up to 12 years, when they are moving into an executive role (a phenomenon known as the "12-year gap").

It is important to identify emerging leaders early in their path and provide the appropriate developmental opportunities to help them achieve their full potential. Successful emerging leaders programs will combine the tactical skills of management (delegation, time management, etc.) with the people skills needed to effectively create a positive, effective culture on their team (effective communication, coaching conversations, etc.).

Well-being

To fully support your employees to help increase their engagement, you will need to support the whole person. Mental health and wellness is just as important as physical well-being, and any forward-thinking company will ensure the entire employee is cared for. There are many opportunities to provide education for employees around their whole self, including offering virtual workouts, stress management workshops and more.

• Meighan Newhouse is CEO and co-founder of Inspirant Group in Naperville.