Several management consultants have arrived at a three-step program to ensure your employee’s engagement with your venue’s operation. Without fully engaging your employees, it will be impossible to delight your guests. As we have written before the delighted guest who will become your positive advocate in the marketplace. One positive supporter can replace thousands of dollars in marketing and advertising – and do so more effectively.
Accord Management Systems has devised a system that encompasses the three levels of employee engagement – basic, intermediate and advanced. Each employee should be asked these questions and the higher percentage of employees that answer positively the better your venue will operate.
The Basic Steps
- I know what my job is and what I have been asked to do
- I have all the tools necessary to do my job effectively
- My manager treats me and my co-workers fairly
- I believe the management values me as much as the guests
- My opportunities for promotion are equal to my co-workers
- I feel safe while working at my job
All your employees must answer these issues positively. They are the simple aspects of any employee/employer relationship and thus enable your employees to begin engagement with your business.
The Intermediate Steps
- I am aware of all the opportunities available to me and I can decide if they fit my interests
- I feel my manager helps me and wants to help my career progress
- Management listens to me and is open to my suggestions or concerns
- My work gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment
These comprise the next step in employee engagement. Once all the basic issues are fulfilled, you should move to these steps further engaging employees.
The Advanced Steps
- I know my company’s long-term plans, goals, and the direction we are headed
- I feel my company is one of the best place to work and recommend it to my friends
- Everyone has a spirit of working together and any competition is healthy and in the venue’s interest
Historically, most businesses will have about 20% employees fully engaged, 60% partially engaged, and the balance of 20% not engaged. Your goal should be to bring most of those 60% to full engagement. The bottom 20% usually will never be engaged, and this is the group you must replace with flexible, potentially more positive, prospects.
Of course, these steps are a constant process and unless you and your managers are open to this type of operation, the task is impossible. Very often managers are the biggest problem. If your managers have the attitude – I’m the boss and that is why the employees should perform – you will never reach full engagement of employees. So start with yourself, move through the managers and then to the employees. Full engagement is only possible when instituted from the top down.
