So the Christmas decorations have gone back in the cupboard once again and we’re all bouncing back to work, fizzing with ideas and enthusiasm for the year ahead.
OK, “fizzing with ideas” might be an exaggeration, but we’re still more likely than ever to be fired with energy and enthusiasm for re-shaping our work. Which of us hasn’t, at some point during the holidays, thought “I’m going to change things when I get back”?
If employee engagement is your bag, you may return full of new ideas on how to reach and inspire your people in 2011. Maybe you want to revitalise one of your communication channels. Or enhance communication skills among line managers. Or refresh your employer brand.
But, at the risk of being a New Year spoilsport, I’d advise you to hold your horses.
I say this because seeking to change a channel (or even a combination of channels) in isolation from wider strategic goals won’t necessarily improve employee engagement. Every channel needs to work in combination with other methods, as part of a suite of mechanisms that reach, inspire and support employees to give their best. Tackling one channel out of context, therefore, may not deliver immediate results in terms of enhanced engagement in the way you might hope.
A far better strategy is to use the start of the year to take a step back and look at your channel set as a whole, reviewing whether it forms the infrastructure you need to achieve your employee engagement goals. Is your current blend of tools and channels reaching employee audiences across your company? Are those tools and channels creating the cut-through you need with those employee audiences? Are they creative enough to inspire engagement and supportive behaviour? Are employees responding in the way you need them to?
Some simple research of this nature will help you identify the real priorities for the year ahead. Of course, it might confirm a need to revitalise the intranet, improve managers’ communication skills and/or sharpen your employer brand. Many organisations could really benefit from steps in all of these areas! But, equally, a channels audit might highlight other areas for development, or a general need for more creativity or greater cut-through, which could change your understanding of priorities for the year.
If this sounds a little mechanistic, then I apologise. I’m certainly not trying to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm on the road ahead! But taking a step back now could help you channel your New Year energy and enthusiasm in ways that support the real priorities for the year. And it will help you ensure any changes you make are wholly aligned with the business goals you are seeking to support.
