44 Human Resource Executive®
WHITE
PAPERS
WORDS OF AUTHORITY
Employee Engagement is All
About Connection
David Sturt, Executive Vice President, O.C. Tanner Institute and
Marketing
The Harvard Business Review recently published an article in which Vice Admiral Vivek
H. Murthy (Surgeon General of the
United States from 2014 to 2017)
called loneliness a “growing health
epidemic.” Over 40 percent of adults
in America feel lonely, including half
of all CEOs. According to the article,
poor social connections can reduce
lifespan, productivity, creativity,
reasoning and decision-making at
work; increase the risk of obesity;
and mimic the effect of smoking 15
cigarettes a day.
At the same time, research shows
employee engagement is lower than
ever. According to Gallup’s State of the
American Workplace 2017, 51 percent
of the workforce is not engaged, and
16 percent is actively disengaged.
Have we ever stopped to think
that the increase in loneliness and
the decrease in engagement are
somehow related? Perhaps employee
engagement is not about perks and
benefits, but about an engaging culture
that fosters a sense of belonging.
We have tools to keep us engaged
and connected at work—messaging
apps, email, text messaging, virtual-conferencing tools, project-tracking
tools and more—yet the modern
workforce remains disconnected and
disengaged. Perhaps what’s missing
from our current workplace cultures,
despite all of the advances in social
tools and technology, is a sense of
connection.
Connection to what? To a sense
of purpose, accomplishment and one
another.
1. Inspire People With a
Meaningful Purpose
We all want to feel like we are
making a difference, changing the
world and contributing to something
important. According to the O.C.
Tanner Institute, only half (54 percent)
of employees say their organization’s
purpose motivates them. That’s not
surprising when your purpose is merely
to sell a million widgets, to hit your
goal of $7 billion or to beat out your
competitors. If you can connect what
you do as a business to a purpose that
life better, to
improve the
world—you
can invite
employees to
join a cause
they care
about.
Tractor
companies
don’t just
make farm
machinery,
they help feed
the world.
Environmental-services staff
members don’t just mop hospital floors,
they help people heal. When you create
and communicate an inspiring purpose
to your people, and connect their
individual roles to that purpose, you
connect them to your organization.
2. Celebrate Accomplishments
Part of connecting people to your
organization is helping them see how
their work contributes to the team
and helps the organization succeed.
Unfortunately, 42 percent of employees
believe reaching their goals goes
unnoticed, and one in three employees
feels like they don’t receive enough
acknowledgement from their team
members. You can’t feel connected or
engaged when you don’t feel like you
or your work matters. So celebrate
accomplishments big and small. Show
appreciation when employees go above
and beyond, contribute in meaningful
ways and make a difference others love.
According to data from the O.C.
Tanner Institute, employees who feel
appreciated at work are:
• 52 percent more likely to feel they
can take on anything;
• 55 percent less stressed;
• 39 percent more satisfied with their
lives;
• 33 percent more innovative; and
• likely to stay four years longer at
their current organization.
3. Create a Culture of Belonging
Only 53 percent of employees
feel a sense of belonging in their
organization. One in three says their
direct manager doesn’t know people
on their team as individuals; they are
just seen as workers. Employees can’t
be engaged if they don’t feel they are
part of a winning team of like-minded,
talented individuals on a journey of
accomplishment together. By building a
workplace culture where employees feel
part of the team, they’ll work harder,
smarter and with more joy to help your
organization succeed.
A focus group participant articulates
the importance of connection for most
employees: “Connections make a job
you don’t like tolerable. The hardest
part of leaving a job is leaving the
people, not the work. That goes to the
culture you create.”
So create a culture where employees
appreciate each other, where leaders
care about their people both inside
and outside of work and encourage
mentorship and collaboration.
Increased connection leads to
better teamwork, trust, innovation,
productivity, passion and ultimately
better business results. When you
inspire people with a purpose to rally
behind, connect their contributions to
that purpose, and create a culture that
values them, you’ll see great results
and may help reverse the loneliness
epidemic.
According to Curtis Kesler, human
resource operations service line
leader at Dow Chemical: “When
employees feel validated and feel a
part of the bigger picture, and a part
of the strategy, we all work harder.
We do better work. That impacts the
shareholders … corporate initiatives …
