A Hierarchy of Wellbeing and Engagement, part 2

Last time I looked at the first two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs and how that could be translated into increasing employee engagement.  This time we’re going to loo at the other three.  Next up …

Love and Belonging.  Everyone want to feel that someone cares about them. It’s become clear that in recent times organisations and line managers in particular have overlooked that simple fact.  It’s not enough to pay people and expect them to get on with it.  The power of acknowledgement cannot be underestimated. MIT studies have demonstrated  that acknowledgement is a powerful motivator.  And anyway, isn’t is just polite to say thank you?  The line management role in showing the organisation cares is critical and by developing a deeper relationship through informal coaching (not managing performance) reaps untold rewards. 

At an organisational level, how are employees involved in the decision making process? Annual culture and engagement surveys are great - if the organisation acts immediately upon the feedback.  surveys as a box ticking or reporting exercise are worse than worthless.  I remember the first ever staff satisfaction survey I sent out.  The results were horrendous and made very uncomfortable reading.  However we picked out and implemented 3 simple low cost measures we could do and the results were amazing. It also made other changes we were making easier to introduce.

The bottom line:  Recognition is a core responsibility  - no one ever resigned over too much praise.  Managers have to build effective relationship with their staff, listen and respond to concerns.  Develop the culture of recognition with organisational surveys that have teeth and take swift action to show you are listening - and care.

Achievement. Ah yes, the dreaded appraisal or performance review process, where we sit down, review previous goals and set new ones. There’s nothing wrong in principle but its implementation has been patchy to say the least, often due to the importance attached to it (see above).  Lets take this to another level.  

Everyone has the desire to get better at something they are passionate about - why do people spend hours practising the piano for no material reward?  It’s that sense of achievement and accomplishment that drives them.  In the workplace its all about career development.  Understanding where an individual’s talents and passions lie and channeling that energy through a career path is what creates the win-win.  Again it comes down to the line manager - can they hold a developmental dialogue that promotes growth?  It’s these softer skills that managers often lack, which makes the difference between engaged or disengaged employees.  These skills are often found in a coach’s skill set and building these skills into management development programmes is a must.

Alongside this, the organisation has to have in place the mechanisms for supporting employees and creating career paths. For example, If the only way your top sales people can achieve long term career success is by moving into a sales management role and removing them  from what they do best (and love doing); that isn’t the smartest thing to do.

The bottom line: Match individual talents and passions to organisational roles.  Provide career development support through managers with coaching skills.

Self Actualisation.  A tricky one perhaps, but I think not.  The hardest thing is to describe what self-actualisation is. I think of it as those moments where you feel one with yourself and the world - a beautiful sunset, a work of art (Sergeant’s Lady Agnew of Lochnaw does it for me ).  It’s that moment of connectedness to something bigger - purpose.

what every organisation has to do is build meaning and purpose in every aspect of work and create a connection with each and every employee.  go to any company’s website or read their set of annual accounts and there is likely to be a reference to the company’s mission, vision and values.  But how often are they played out day to day on the shop floor?  Not very often.  It’s the missing link that ties in everything I’ve written about above.  Without meaning or purpose, everything else is window dressing.

Let me go back to the MIT study I mentioned earlier.  The experiments were conducted by Dan Ariely and he found that recognition led to higher performance.  what he also discovered was that meaning increased performance.  Where employees could see meaning in what they worked on it led to increased motivation and performance.  you can read more about the research  and what happened to a software company that took the opposite approach here.

The bottom line: Maslow’s work is still relevant today, but maybe turn it on its head. Build up from the values and purpose - Just like in the film Field of Dreams - build it and they will come. 

A Hierarchy Wellbeing and Engagement, Part 1

In his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, Abraham Maslow proposed a hierarchy of needs. He never portrayed them in a pyramid and he recognised that while one need might dominate at a given time, different levels of motivation could occur simultaneously.  His hierarchy is perhaps,  a set of guiding principles, rather than an A to B process as they are often used.  Similarly, employee engagement is not an A to B process.  It is a complex combination of drivers and enablers that different people look for in different ways at different times.  Organisations can’t control engagement - it’s a 2-way street that employers and employees walk along together.  What organisation can do though, is put in place some key elements that Maslow referred to in his paper over 70 years ago

The first level in Maslow’s Hierarchy relates to physiological needs e.g. food, water, shelter - but I want to focus on another basic employee need.  This one is normally placed in Maslow’s 2nd level (Safety and Security), but I’m going to address it here as it is the most basic need in the employee relationship - to be compensated fairly for his or her contribution.  As many other notable studies have concluded money doesn’t motivate. But if you don’t pay enough to remove pay as an issue, it will always have the opposite effect and demotivate or disengage.  In his book Drive, Dan Pink  sets out the science behind his assertion that money isn’t a motivator.  J Stacy Adams has a complimentary perspective through his Equity Theory on Job Motivation.  At the heart of Adams’ theory is an important distinction - one of fairness - how people are treated/compensated in comparison to one another. It’s not all about money, it’s the total package and it becomes lined to other levels of motivation and wellbeing, such as development opportunities.  

The bottom line - reward people well and fairly so they can focus their energies on being the best they can be. It will improve the employer brand and in the next 10 years employer brand will be a key differentiator. Start now! 

The next level is Safety and Security.  for this I mean your wellbeing strategy.  people need to feel safe and secure.  Job security is hard to promise, but what is in an organisation’s control is how employees’ physical and emotional wellbeing is managed.  Physical wellbeing is clear enough at work- health and safety, but what about emotional wellbeing? 

Stress is the #1 cause of sickness in the UK and affects one in five of the working population.  Managers have a key role to play here and it is their lack of skill in managing staff effectively that is often cited as the  main reason for staff turnover.  Stress related absenteeism costs employer £1.24 billion with over 105 million days lost ash year (source HSE).  Management development, mental toughness, resilience training - all aiming to combat the effects of stress, but may be looking in the wrong place. Are we pushing people to fit into a model that is inherently dysfunctional?  Should we rather change the organisation to harness the talents of its people instead?

One hidden and far less discussed issue is domestic violence.  In 2011/12, 7.3% women (1.2 million) and 5% men (800,000) report having experienced domestic abuse  (source ONS).  Whether they want it to or not, the impact and effects come to work with them. There is a likelihood  that an employee in your organisation is a perpetrator of domestic violence.  It is an uncomfortable truth, but a truth none the less.  If you want to engage your workforce, put in place the relevant policies to communicate and confront this reality.  The Corporate Alliance Against Domestic Violence is a registered charity that works with UK business to provide practical support in this area http://www.caadv.org.uk. 

The bottom line:  wellbeing isn’t just a touchy feely hr issue, it has tangible business impacts.  Making wellbeing a core business strategy will deliver a positive return on investment. 

Next time, a look at recognition and achievement.

Just 90 Days to Change the Habits of a Lifetime

Over the last 3 months I have been undergoing a bit of a lifestyle change.  I was overweight, lacking I energy and starting to lose direction.  Three months later and all that has changed.  The gym where I train – yes I really do enjoy  going to the gym now – asked my to write my story, which I duly did.  It’s a personal story, but one that I thought would make an interesting blog around motivation and engagement, as the parallels are there.  Here it is,  if you are in the position I found myself, I hope this helps you take the first step to a better place. 

Just 90 Days to Change the Habits of a Lifetime.

As someone who used to play sport to a high level, you’d think I’d know how to take care of my body.  Wrong.  30 years ago I was pretty good squash player, but pressures of work and life meant I’d stopped playing or doing any other exercise come to that.  I never ate breakfast and often skipped lunch - too busy to eat!  My one and only meal of the day was dinner and I crammed a whole days worth of eating into a single meal.  To top all that off I had a bad habit of eating the kid’s meals.  My parents drummed into me “if you don't’ clear your plate they’ll be no pudding.” Not wanting to subject my kids to the same ordeal, I would eat their leftovers.  Not so bad when its baby food, but burgers and chips is another matter!

To try and get into some sort of healthier routine I’d make the annual pilgrimage to a gym, go on diets or de-toxes and sure, I’d lose some weight, but it never lasted more than a few weeks. I wasn’t happy with my weight or body shape, but didn’t know what to do about it.  At one point, I even considered surgery.

I made one last attempt at playing squash again, but just kept getting injured.  In the end I decided I was just too old and the days of being fit and healthy were over.  I sat at home watching sport and films on TV never noticing my body slowly falling apart.

Then, one day, an email popped into my inbox offering a 12 week get fit programme.  I don’t really know what made me join up, maybe it was the £30 offer or perhaps it was the idea of doing something in a group.  Whatever it was, I’ll never be more grateful that I made the call. Life changing is a phrase that gets bandied around a lot, but over the last few weeks, my life has changed. I’ve not won the lottery, but money couldn’t have done what I’ve done for myself.

What changed my life?  It’s been a combination of things but a few stand out.

• Knowing what I wanted

At the first session we were all asked to write down our goals.  For the first time is sat down and thought about what I really wanted.  Instead of thinking about simply losing weight, I thought about how I’d look and feel with a different body shape.  In creating that image and sense of well being, something clicked and that has been a key driving force for me.  As my shape has changed over the weeks that vision has become stronger and pulls me forward.

• Discovering what healthy eating really is

I knew I wasn’t eating well, but I thought I was at least eating the right things, just at the wrong time. Turns out I was so far off the mark.  What amazed me (and still does) is not so much what you can’t have, or  eat less of; its  all the lovely things you can eat.  The nutrition guide and recipe book is a firm favourite and really helped developing my new eating habits.  It has truly been a revelation and I so love morning breakfast now.  I get up earlier, with more energy and look forward to the day

• The fitness training team

From day one and the introductory video, the team have been so supportive.  Their endless enthusiasm and commitment has transferred across to me and I don’t want to let them (or me) down.  regular communication with facts and case studies really helps my understanding and their stories are really motivating.

The weekly sessions have always been fun and nothing like my previous gym experiences.  From country walks to mud covered boot camps, the team have inspired me to push on.  The regular measure and weigh ins have also been a great source of motivation.  Regardless of the outcome, the support has been great and any change even small gets the whoop whoop.

• Personal Training sessions

To be honest I was a bit sceptical about 1:1 training, but as with pretty much everything else I was proved wrong.  The sessions with Jonny has changed my view of gym work.  Somehow he found a way of making the sessions fun.  What also helped was being able to measure the improvements.  Every small step has added up to a big change.  I’ve even started going to the gym and training on my own.  Just writing this is making me want to go.  That’s what I call a result!

A funny thing happened to me the other day.  I clutched my arm for some reason and was a bit surprised to find a lump.  It was a muscle! - I’d forgotten I had them. It showed me that what I had been doing for only a few weeks was making a noticeable difference.  People who haven’t seen me for a while feel compelled to tell me how well I look and want to know how I’ve done it. I tell then I eat more – just differently.  I’ve become a bit of a nutrition nerd and that's not a bad thing.  I’ve learnt that when you put rubbish in, you get rubbish out.  The thing you need to know is what rubbish looks like.  Fat is your friend!  Really.  Give it a go, I know it works.

Your Brand is at Risk

“The future of employer branding is in the hands of their employees and employers will “lose control ” of their employer brand”.  This is the message from Teresa Collis Head of Global Employer Marketing, Employer Branding at Siemens.  In a recent interview  Teresa sets out a future where employees will gain control of their employers brand through social media.  

So what does this mean for employers?  If you want to recruit and retain the best people, you have to invest in your current workforce.  The levels of engagement with your vision, values and priorities will be reflected in your employer brand. In effect your current employees will be letting everyone know if you are a worthwhile company to work for, or do business with. 

Social media is an incoming wave that can’t be held back. Disciplining people are the actions of King Canute - it’s never going to work in the longer term and it may be causing your business irreparable harm. Rather than trying to tighten your grip through social internet policies and restrictions, engage with the people who use it.   The future of your business lies with Generation Facebook.  Social media is an intrinsic part of their lives. 

more than 4 years ago, author Gary Hamil (Wall Street Journal Management 2.0)  concluded that an organisation’s environment has to reflect the social context of the web.  It’s this alignment between an individual’s personal brand (see last weeks blog) and the organisational culture that produces increased engagement. What are you and your organisation doing to build alignment?  - It is a joint responsibility.  Don’t risk drowning in the onrushing storm, the only course of action is to set sail full steam ahead to its heart.

The Poppy Fields Effect

In the world of pop music, the ability to sing has never been overly important.  Those of you who remember a band called The Alarm of 68 Guns fame, may also remember another famous episode in their career.  

In 2004 almost 20 years after their most famous hit and finding it increasingly difficult to get the attention of record executives, The Alarm decided to play the industry at their own game.  Lead Singer Mike Peters created a fictitious group called the Poppy Fields and had them lip sync a song written and played by The Alarm.  A promotional package, including video launched Poppy Fields into the public eye and the single 45 RPM entered the charts at number 24.  

Live on BBC Radio 1’s Chart Show, Mike Peters exposed the hoax and the reasons for doing it.  In a later interview he was quoted as saying  “"We wanted to make sure we are judged purely on the strength of the music, and not by our old hairstyles."  In 2013 those events were turned into a film called Vinyl.

Image in the pop industry is everything.  Talent counts much less and that is a crying shame. There are so many people who are cast off because they don’t fit a stereotype, regardless of their ability.  And there’s another side to consider.  For every person that is ignored, sidelined, or discarded, there are 10 others who don’t even try, demoralised by what they see, read and hear.

In 1969 I was in a school choir, but having to leave as the family was moving house.  I still remember the choirmaster making me promise that I would never give up singing.  But of course I did and in the intervening years I came to believe that I couldn’t sing anyway.  But today that changes.  I’ve booked some singing lessons and I’m going to fulfil the promise I made over 40 years ago.  I have no aspirations for public singing and that’s fine.  What I do feel sad for are all those people who have a real talent but through stereotyping and discrimination crush someone who could light up the world.

Whether in the world of pop or on the shop floor, there are talented people wanting and waiting to prove it, but don’t get the chance.  There are just as many who have proved it over time but are starting to tread water as their spark is being snuffed out.  It’s not necessarily a deliberate act on anyone’s part, its an unintended consequence of a culture that’s evolved, almost unnoticed. 

Last week on The Voice a guy called Myles Evans wowed the judges who all turned for him.  They were surprised to learn that his audition was the first time he had sung in public.  It was only his sister’s encouragement that got him to go.  I wonder if we all took the time to recognise and encourage the talent that exists in our colleagues and team members, our world would be a better place?