8

LEVERAGE YOUR COMPANY’S ENGAGEMENT-RELATED PROGRAMS

The following story is fictional, but why shouldn’t it happen in every organization?

Rob is a sales manager at the local big-box electronics store. Rita has worked with Rob for two years and is a top seller who is also well-liked by her peers. Rita recently returned from leave, having given birth to her first child. During their first team meeting since Rita’s return, Rob welcomes Rita back to the team:

ROB: Let’s start with our most important topic. Welcome back, Rita! We’re pleased to have you back and so happy your baby girl is happy and healthy.

RITA: Thanks, Rob. I want to thank all of you for the flowers, cards, and well-wishes along the way. And for keeping sales up—it looks like you hardly missed me.

ROB: We missed your sales and your good spirit, Rita. Is there anything else you want to tell our team about your time away?

RITA: Yes. I want to tell you all how I’ve always taken our health insurance for granted, but now I understand not only how important it is, but also how much money it has saved me. Rob asked me if I was comfortable talking about this, and I am proud to tell you how much the company contributed to bringing my beautiful baby into this world. I actually read through all the bills, and I saved $14,238 that our company paid for me.

ROB: Let me write that down, Rita. $14,238. How many flat-screen TVs would you have to sell to make that much money? It sounds like you didn’t realize how much money our health insurance would save you.

RITA: Yeah. I look at those total compensation statements we get every year, but I don’t pay much attention to them. They lay on the counter in my kitchen for a week, and then I throw them out. But now I get it.

ROB: Maybe some others here have had medical issues that were covered by our insurance, but they didn’t count the actual dollars like Rita did. This is a good time to think about things that could happen to us or our families and how our company stands behind us, to help out and pay our bills.

I said in chapter 1 that companies rely too much on company programs to solve employee engagement, and in chapter 2 we learned that the real lever to improve engagement is you. It is important that you and your fellow managers proactively support your company’s programs, touting the outstanding benefits they bring to your team and the sizable funding your company invests in them.

The reality is that few employees actively think about the health insurance your company provides unless they need it, or for that matter their pensions or 401(k)s if they have them. Young employees in particular think their bodies are infallible and they’ll never get old. The story mentioned previously reinforces that total compensation statements probably make less impact than placing a real-life example of company benefits front and center for your team.

Do You Know Your Company’s Programs?

Of course, to present company information to employees, you must first know it. Here’s a quiz to identify what information you know so you can readily present it, either in group or individual discussions:

What percent of tuition does your tuition reimbursement policy pay?

What percentage does your company match in your 401(k)?

How much money did your company contribute to charities last year?

How much money did your company contribute to employee healthcare last year, per employee?

How much money can employees make by referring new hires? And when do they get paid?

How long must employees stay in one job before they can post for another?

How many PTO days do employees get in a year? And how long must they stay to earn more?

Small companies won’t have all of these programs, of course.

Let’s add another. How much money did your company make last year? How does this compare to known competitors? What’s the earnings trend over the past few quarters or years? Of course, earnings information should only be disclosed for publicly traded companies or ones that freely share this information. But when available, why not make this the first item on your next team meeting agenda, and why not only report it but also teach employees what it means?

Let’s suppose your company has annual or periodic events where employees are recognized for their outstanding performance. Consider this script for your next team meeting, in this case best if presented soon after the event:

“I felt really good last night when Wendy in quality control won employee of the year. Some of you might not work much with Wendy or even know her, but let me tell you about her.

“Wendy has been with our company for nine years, and she’s been promoted four times during that period. People love working with Wendy because she puts the other person first, either the outside customers or us, and never, ever lets one of us down. She digs for more information, stays late when needed, and maybe most importantly listens to everyone on every level so she knows what they really need. And she greets you with a smile every time.

“Wendy deserved to be employee of the year, and we can all learn from her how to be the absolute best employee and contributor we can be.”

Leveraging Other Company Programs

Another event that comes to mind is a company charity event like the March of Dimes Walk. This kind of activity provides great opportunities to pull your team together socially so they can expand their relationships. It is also a feel-good thing that makes you and everyone in your company feel proud and look great. Even if your company doesn’t participate in these events, you and your team probably can. Here’s a checklist of ways you can build participation and appreciation:

Announce the event with enough lead time so employees can plan to participate.

Explain to your team who benefits from the money raised with specific examples.

Tell your team you will participate and you strongly hope they will, too.

Talk the event up in small groups or individual meetings.

Make registration easy.

Update your team on who has committed.

Track your team’s percentage of commitments compared to other departments.

Arrive early and thank others for being there.

Plan a short social event after, even if just to tailgate in the parking lot.

Report soon after how much money your team and company raised, with specific examples of whose lives will be better as a result.

Let’s not overlook employee birthdays and anniversaries. I ask this question with a smile on my face: What’s more important, that your employee completes another year of good service to your company or that same employee avoids death and grows another year older? Employee anniversaries deserve more than mention in a team meeting or a predetermined award like a company-logoed backpack. Place each employee’s anniversary on your calendar two weeks out, and prepare a hand-written note that tells her three things she contributed in the past year that you appreciate. That’s a note she’ll read over dinner at home that night.

While you are your team’s greatest engagement driver, your team wants to see that you support your company, too, so they can then match your level of support. Your team’s happiness at work strongly connects to both gratitude and relationships with peers, and opportunities are available to you to increase both—and their engagement levels, too.