1.
What’s Wrong with
Employee Engagement?
Michael Netzley, PhD
6th July 2015

2.
“
Just a one percent engagement
improvement, for an organisation with
a $750 million baseline operating
income, can result in a $20 million
increase to the bottom line.
Aon Hewitt study, 2014

3.
§ Academic Director, SMU Executive Development
§ SMU faculty since 2002; 25 years in higher ed
§ 2011 Champion’s Award, Innovative Course
Design and Delivery
§ Editorial Board, Asian Management Insights
§ Founding Director, SMU Teaching Excellence
Initiative
§ Author of numerous case studies and 4 books
§ Visiting positions in Argentina, Berlin, Finland,
Slovenia, and Japan
§ Key clients include Unilever, IBM, IHG, Singapore
Airlines, BNP Paribas, TCS, 3M, UOB, Singapore’s
MFA & MoE, SingHealth, Raffles Medical,
Schneider Electric, Sumitomo Chemical, Bosnalijek
Pharmaceutical, Lundbeck Pharmaceutical, GSK
Vaccines, and Bayer.
§ Daddy with 3 daughters & 1 son
Michael Netzley, Phd. 2014

4.
Current State of
Employee Engagement

5.
2011-12 Employee Engagement Study
1 in 10 employees are actively engaged
Gallop, 2011-12

6.
2013 State of Employee Engagement
Data for SE Asia
Gallop, State of the Global Workplace, 2013

7.
“
Over the past few years, we are seeing a
global decline in employee engagement.
Levels of engagement have stagnated at
2008 levels and are well behind the best
performing companies – at the very point
when organisations around the world need
to deliver better performance.
Dr. Stephen Choo, Hay Group

8.
Low Employee Engagement in 2014
A similar study finding similar results
Source: Kelly Global Workforce Index, 2014

9.
Who Is Most Difficult to Engage?

10.
Employee Engagement is a Challenge
§ Ranked 2nd most important issue on minds of HR
leaders (behind leadership)
§ Engagement & building an enduring culture are
critical
§ “Overwhelmed employee” one of the biggest
challenges
Does any of this sound familiar?
Source: Predictions for 2015, Bersin by Deloitte

11.
© 2014 IBM Corporation11
RECOGNITION
This company values my contribution.
This company recognizes productive
people.SUPPORT &
INCLUSION
I feel supported in my efforts to
adapt to organizational changes.
I feel that I am part of a team.
FUTURE / VISION
I believe this company has an
outstanding future.
The senior leadership of this company
has communicated a vision of the future
that motivates me.
I can see a clear link between my work
and this company’s objectives.
TRUST
I trust the leadership of this company.
This organization shows a
commitment to ethical business
decisions and conduct. COMMUNICATION
There is open and honest two-way
communication at this company.
My ideas and suggestions count.
GROWTH &
DEVELOPMENT
I have opportunities to advance in
this company.
This company provides me with
opportunity for learning and
development.
THE WORLD’S
TOP DRIVERS OF
ENGAGEMENT

12.
So What is Employee
Engagement?

13.
What is Employee Engagement?
§ Ability to harness employees’ personal
enthusiasm in their work roles (Kahn, 1990)
§ Engaged employees feel “a strong emotional
bond to their employer, recommending it to
others and committing time and effort to
help the organization succeed” (Quirke,
2008)
§ Individuals’ “involvement with, satisfaction
with and enthusiasm for the work they
do” (Robbins, Judge, Millett and Boyle, 2011)

14.
Aon Hewitt Employee Engagement Model

15.
Benefits of Employee
Engagement

16.
“
Organizations with a high level of
engagement do report 22% higher
productivity, according to a new meta-
analysis of 1.4 million employees
conducted by the Gallup Organization.
Gallop, 2013

17.
“ Highly engaged
organizations have double
the rate of success of lower
engaged organizations
Harvard Business Review, 2013

18.
“ Top-quartile firms have lower absenteeism
and turnover. Specifically, high-turnover
organizations report 25% lower turnover,
and low-turnover organizations report
65% lower turnover.
Harvard Business review, 2013

19.
Engagement Impacts Performance
48% Fewer
Workplace
Safety
Incidents
41% Fewer
Quality
Incidents (i.e.,
defects)
People and products are better

20.
Where to Begin?

21.
Preferred Methods of Engagement
Periodic contact comes first
Source: Kelly Global Workforce Index

22.
Don’t Forget About Trust and Reputation!
The Messenger Matters Greatly
Edelman Trust Barometer, 2014
33,000+ responses; 27 countries

23.
Attend to What Other Employees Say
The real issue is what others say about us, not what we say
Edelman Trust Barometer, 2014
33,000+ responses; 27 countries

24.
Employees are a Skeptical Lot
Thus less receptive to your messages
Edelman Trust Barometer, 2014
33,000+ responses; 27 countries

25.
Employees Trust the CEO Less than Execs Do
Factors helping and hurting organizational trust
Edelman Trust Barometer, 2014
33,000+ responses; 27 countries

26.
Your Path Forward

27.
Employee Engagement Checklist
1. Are you even measuring the right things?
2. Do implementation experts help you frame and
present data in actionable ways?
3. Do your planning processes link strategy to
execution to employee engagement?
4. Do you look at engagement during the hiring
process (i.e., does this candidate have fuel
remaining in the tank?)
5. Have you made strategic use of corporate
communication to embed a sense of purpose
in our day-to-day work routines?
Specific action steps you can take

28.
Critical Talent Imperatives for 2015
Guided path the the correct starting point
Source: Bersin by Deloitte, 2014

29.
The Simply Irresistible Organisation Model
Your desired destination
Source: Bersin by Deloitte, 2014