Personally I don’t think employee engagement is a myth. I have been in the teams were it felt like you are part of large family, mission was worth it and everyone felt need to work together. This wasn’t an accidental but culture that was actively and consciously developed. There are all little things that leadership did, for example,
- eating lunch together
- having fun weekend trips with coworkers
- getting invited in to celebrate ethnic festivals
- getting invited in to each other’s parties
- taking vacations together for common interests
Things like above developed stronger bond to the extent were many folks would let go bigger compensation outside. It allowed to express opinions without being politically correct to leadership. It enabled continuous feedback and information sharing as opposed to infrequent all-hands and toung in chick critic. This quite a contrast from many 9-5 cultures where employees sell their time in exchange of money and nothing more.
Re:The Employee Engagement Myth
by lukethomas on Sunday October 14, 2018 @07:30AM
(#18212416)
I believe that there are great places to work (like the example you gave). What I tried to convey in the article is that this is not a result of HR departments sending out surveys and trying to "engage" people. It's a much more natural, intentional thing that starts at the top.
For over a decade, Gallup has measured engagement on an almost daily basis and the number has barely budged over the last decade. The number tends to stay in the low 30% range — this strategy is a PR dream. Year after year, Gallup can state that “the majority of the workforce is disengaged.” They then proceed to sell products/services to improve the score. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!