A member of one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to recently asked a question about who should be responsible for employee engagement within an organization. Although many elements contribute towards employee engagement, I think ultimately responsibility for it resides with the individual.

I recently heard an employee describing his employer in a positive light. He could express the corporate vision to a tee and described how he behaved in accordance with the vision. This employee enthusiastically described  the value of the service the company provided and how he believed in the corporate vision. This type of passion—I believe—takes root in a good match between an employee’s abilities, beliefs, life aspirations and the corporate philosophy and the job.

How many of your employees would speak this way about your company when no one with any connection to the organization was listening?

How does an organization cultivate this type of workforce? Company leadership plays a role in decision-making, resource allocation, policy development and communication, which has a direct impact upon employee engagement. All talent management processes, however, must include a dialogue about the employee's beliefs, interests and career/life aspirations. 

During the interview:

-try to determine which candidates are thinking, “I would love to work for this company, I have so much to contribute” over the ones who think, “I must do everything I can to meet the requirements needed in order to get this job.”

During the on boarding process:

-help the employee understand the corporate vision

-take the time to understand the employee’s work ambitions, interests and expectations

-capitalize on the employees interests when they intersect with the corporate vision

Day-to-day:

-use a strong performance management process to link goals to corporate strategy

-help the employee identify career goals and link them to corporate objectives

-help the employee advance, learn and grow

Succession planning:

-communicate regularly with the employee regarding his career goals and expectations

-use knowledge of employee’s aspirations and interests to help him advance his career

Understanding which employees are highly engaged at work and supporting them appropriately requires that managers really know their direct reports and what they like, what they value, what they want to achieve, what they want to contribute and how they want to live. This requires that the dialogue be a part of the interview process, the on boarding process, the performance management process, the development planning process and the succession planning process.

What are your thoughts?