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ENGAGING EMPLOYEES AND IMPROVING BUSINESS THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
THE BUSINESS CASE FOR ENGAGEMENT 2
ENGAGE EMPLOYEES BY ONBOARDING WITH A PURPOSE 2
TAILORED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT 4
ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES OF THE FUTURE 5
RISING TO THE ENGAGEMENT CHALLENGE 7
H E L I O S W H I T E P A P E R S E R I E S
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 2
Most senior leaders understand the importance of employee engagement but few
truly understand the ability of engagement to stimulate business results, nor the threat
disengagement poses to a business’ bottom line. In November of 2013, Jim Clifton, CEO
of Gallup, presented some startling statistics about the overall attitude of the global
workforce. Gallup statistics reflect trends from 2011-2012 and divide employees into one
of three categories: engaged, disengaged, and actively disengaged. According to research
conducted by Gallup, only 13 percent of employees across the globe are truly engaged
in their job. Most troubling, 24 percent are actively disengaged, as characterized by their
tendency to negatively influence others and underperform. The rest of the workforce
(63 percent) are simply disengaged, which Gallup defines as emotionally disconnected
from their environment and less likely to expend discretionary effort on organization
goals.1 Mr. Clifton went on to hypothesize that if we could only double the number of
actively engaged employees, the global economy would realize substantial gains thanks
to increased productivity, innovation, and customer satisfaction.2 Jim Clifton’s hypothesis
underscores what research has already shown: in business, employee engagement matters
and can impact everything from net income and sales to turnover and absenteeism.3
So we must ask ourselves, how do we meet the challenge and turn an actively or
simply disengaged employee into one that demonstrates engagement through strong
performance and a marked passion for his or her job? The finalists for Helios HR’s Apollo
Awards demonstrate a commitment to employee engagement evident in onboarding that
starts even before the employee is hired, continuing through the employment lifecycle
with unique and customized training and development programs. The tactics and strategies
utilized by Apollo Award finalists serve as a model for other businesses who recognize the
importance of engaging their employee population. As demonstrated by statistics from
Modern Survey’s semiannual reports, organizations with higher engagement indicators
also have higher customer satisfaction, better profitability, and even increased safety
records!4 The effects of positive employee engagement cannot be ignored as the rewards
are very real.
ENGAGE EMPLOYEES BY ONBOARDING WITH A PURPOSEResearch conducted by Modern Survey in the Fall of 2013 showed that employees who
said they knew and understood their organization’s values were 37 times more likely
to be engaged than those who did not.5 We suggest that this information should be
communicated as early in the employment life cycle as possible, i.e. starting with the
recruiting process and continuing through onboarding. One Apollo Award finalist, Fulcrum
IT, sends new hires a signed note from the CEO as soon as they accept their offer along
with a gift certificate to a local restaurant so they can celebrate. This is an excellent way to
maximize impact on engagement with an intentional gesture and it speaks volumes about
the culture and values of Fulcrum IT.
Employee Engagement2011-2012
13 percent of employees across the globe are truly engaged in their job.
24 percent are actively disengaged
(63 percent) are simply disengaged
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 3
“87 percent of Apollo Award
finalists incorporate culture and
connection into their onboarding
programs.”
Leading Organizational Design expert, Tayla Bauer, lists the following classic components
of a successful onboarding program: compliance, clarification, culture, and connection.6
Ms. Bauer calls this model of onboarding “the 4 Cs,” with compliance and role clarification
serving as the foundation. The Apollo Award finalists go above and beyond the simple
approach; in fact, 87 percent of Apollo Award finalists incorporate culture and connection
into their onboarding programs. Their methods vary, but the unifying element is that these
organizations plan for new employees to expand their knowledge beyond the tasks and
skills needed for their specific job. Many finalists provide mentors or buddies to new hires
from whom they learn unspoken work rules or cultural norms of their new employer. These
mentors are not typically in the direct line of management for the new hire, allowing a
relationship built on candor and openness.
In order to ensure new hires understand and can assimilate into the organization’s culture,
several of our Apollo Award finalists go so far as to provide new hires with a written or
electronic culture guide. Neustar, an information analytics company and Apollo Award
finalist headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, screens a five part “reality” TV program for new
hires called, “The New Stars of Neustar,” meant to welcome employees to the company
and introduce their unique values and culture. Merkle, a well-known marketing agency
with a national presence, goes to great lengths to ensure that employees feel connected
immediately. A company provided culture guide speaks to Merkle’s core competencies
as a business and allows them to start communicating their competitive position and
employment brand immediately upon hire; it is meant to orient new employees but it also
represents the organization’s products. Merkle reports the following results of investing
in onboarding: half the turnover of competitors, extremely high level of engagement in
first year employees, and a ramp up time that is usually no more than 30 days. Nationally,
the average time for a new hire to reach full productivity ranges from 5 to 6 months
according to research from the Mellon Corporation.7 Merkle’s efforts to help new employees
understand the company and connect with the culture via informal communication
methods and networks has allowed them to onboard quickly, effectively, and with
remarkable results.
This year’s Apollo Awards finalists also recognize the importance of connecting and
engaging new hires with the entire business, not just their own department or individual
contributions. Many Apollo Award finalists introduce new hires to all parts of the business
by having various executive and business team leaders present portions of the onboarding
program. Participation by the leadership team members reinforces the emphasis
organizations are placing on culture and connection. Some Apollo Award finalists have
employees participate in a job shadow in different units to learn all facets of business
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 4
operations. As a result of their efforts to make early connections to organization culture, 58
percent of Apollo Award finalists reported that new hire productivity was accelerated and
overall new hire turnover was lower, significantly impacting operations and profitability.
Evans Consulting Group has implemented an orientation program modeled on Tayla Bauer’s
four C’s (compliance, clarification, culture, and connection) and has realized impressive
results; the time for a new hire to become fully productive on a client site has gone from
six weeks to only two weeks!
PROVIDE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT THAT IS TAILORED TO ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEE NEEDSOnce an employee is onboarded and fully productive, leaders need to ensure the employee
remains an industrious, engaged member of the team. In their annual reports on trends
in global employee engagement, Aon Hewitt consistently identifies career opportunities,
training, and development as critical drivers of employee engagement. Further, they
point out that these are three areas over which management, and direct managers in
particular, have a lot of control. Through effective management and career development,
employers and managers provide employees an avenue to engage with the organization’s
objectives.8 Our 2014 Helios Apollo Award finalists demonstrate the importance of strategic
development programs; over 70 percent of finalists have tailored internal development
programs unique to their organizations. These programs go beyond basic job proficiency
and seek to train employees on the unique technical and soft skills they need to progress
in the organization and their careers. Apollo Award finalist, George Mason University
(GMU), has developed internal training programs to help address critical skill gaps and
organizational performance concerns that typify this intentional approach to development.
GMU has developed an Administrative Professionals Certification program, which is
made available to all administrative and clerical staff at the university. This program
aims to increase professional resources and networking for administrators by combining
structured learning with mentorship. One employee who was formerly on the verge of
termination, credits this program with turning around her career by increasing her skills
and confidence and engendering pride in the value of her role. Created especially for new
managers within their first five years of management at GMU, the New SUPERvisor Series
puts managers through a structured and rigorous curriculum on all aspects of leadership:
performance management, team building, HR basics, and communications are just some
of the topics covered. An effective and well-trained manager is more likely to be engaged
and also to engage all those under his or her supervision. As Modern Survey’s President
emphasizes, managers are “amplifiers” of everything within the organization that affects
engagement and the example of those in positions of leadership can influence the
workplace behaviors of all employees.9 Our own CEO, Kathy Albarado, often reminds us that
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 5
“as leaders, we speak through a megaphone and should be exceptionally intentional about
our choice of words and tone.”10 The solutions identified by GMU to common engagement
and development problems reflect the overall mission and strategy of the organization in
a way that has surely contributed to the programs’ success. The benefits for the university
are numerous. Dr. Ángel Cabrera, President of GMU, explains that “Mason’s learning and
professional development is an important part of [their] commitment to being a great
place to work. Employees start their Mason career with a warm welcome and valuable
information through their orientation process, and then, can enhance their career well-
being with a wide array of leadership, customer service, or skills-based trainings. After
completing a learning and development series of their choosing, employees are better
prepared and more confident in their work.”11
IT consulting firm and Apollo Award finalist, INTEGRITYOne Partners, has an internal
development program referred to as COIN: The Consultants of INTEGRITYOne. Interestingly,
this group was founded by employees and is largely self-managed. COIN exists to
promote knowledge sharing, problem solving, and networking among colleagues and
sponsors monthly meetings on topics of importance to the organization’s business and
of interest to employees. Because it is driven by employee initiative, COIN represents
a safe place for coworkers to speak with each other frankly and openly share concerns.
INTEGRITYOne’s COIN network is a strong example of employees taking ownership of their
own engagement.
It’s also important to note the impact of improved employee development and
engagement on the bottom line. According to a 2013 Aon Hewitt study, “Analysis of
employee engagement and organization performance data concludes companies that
managed higher employee engagement relative to their peers throughout the economic
downturn are now seeing dramatic, positive impacts to their revenue growth.” Aon’s
review of 94 companies determined that “each incremental percentage of employees who
become engaged would predict an incremental 0.6% growth in sales.”11 As Aon’s research
underscores, investment in employee development and engagement will yield short term
and long term benefits and should be viewed as a competitive advantage even when
budgets are lean and investing in non-revenue generating activity is a difficult decision
to make. Tellingly, all Apollo Award finalists plan to at least maintain their current spend
on employee development and 32 percent of finalists plan to increase the development
budget by 15 percent or more in 2014.
Mentorship has been widely adopted by enlightened leaders and organizations and
although our Apollo Award finalists demonstrate some unique and innovative ways to
structure mentorship in support of engagement, one wonders what will come next?
...“each incremental percentage of employees who become engaged would predict an incremental 0.6% growth in sales.”
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 6
Where do we see employee development going in the next, five, ten, or fifteen years
and how will organizations keep engaging their employees as the American and global
economies change and evolve? Many human capital leaders have put forth the concept of
sponsorship as the natural evolution of mentorship. Instructional Design and Organizational
Development Consultant Julia Winkle Giulioni coined the term “mentworking” in her
book Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go to describe the intersection of traditional
mentorship and networking.12 Well-designed mentorship programs should effectively
develop an employee’s abilities in one particular role or career path but sponsorship takes
that a step further. A mentor introduces you to key people in your organization while a
sponsor introduces you to key people in your field. It’s a subtle difference and one that
may even seem somewhat threatening; senior executives may naturally wonder if a
program designed to increase industry contacts may also encourage top talent to leave
the organization. But it’s just as possible that it will introduce high performers to new
potential customers, innovative ideas, or even new recruits within their field. According to
research conducted on this trend, sponsorship creates meaningful and quantifiable impact
on everything from requesting stretch assignments to negotiating compensation. Some
research puts the positive impact at 22 to 30 percent, depending on the nature of the
request and gender of the employee.13
As women continue to make inroads into senior leadership positions, we also need
to ensure their knowledge, skills, and abilities are ready to meet the demands of
leading organizations in the future. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women’s
participation rate in the Labor Force in 1950 was 34 percent; in 2012, their participation
rate has increased to 57 percent.14 Apollo Award finalists seem to be responding to the
trend as 16 percent have dedicated, targeted programs to accelerate the development
of women leaders. Interestingly, Modern Survey’s data on employee engagement has
consistently shown that while women are more actively engaged than men, they are less
satisfied on numerous indicators such as pay, rewards, and flexibility.15 Developing more
female leaders and ensuring programs and benefits meet their needs will clearly have a
positive impact on overall engagement and many experts have identified sponsorship as
a critical way to develop female talent. Apollo Award finalist Baker Tilly Virchow Krause,
LLP has implemented a program for women’s development called GROW: Growth and
Retention of Women,” which is dedicated to the recruitment, retention, and development
of women at all levels of the organizations. Several years ago, one of Baker Tillly’s current
female partners saw the need for the organization to be more deliberate in its support of
female leaders after her own experience being on a leave of absence and then a flexible
work arrangement. Since its founding, GROW members have taken steps to address
some of the potential points of dissatisfaction and disengagement for female employees,
particularly given that Accounting and Financial Services tend to be male dominated
“Well-designed mentorship
programs should effectively develop
an employee’s abilities in one
particular role or career path but
sponsorship takes that a step further.”
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 7
fields. Their accomplishments include: enhancing maternity and paternity leave benefits,
standardizing the process for flexible work arrangements, and creating a new page on the
firm’s website spotlighting its female thought leaders. Baker Tilly’s efforts pay off for their
business. One Senior Manager said of her flexible work arrangement: “the key for me has
been mutual flexibility. Even though I’m technically less than full-time, I am still able to
bring a lot of value to the firm and my clients.”
As the economy continues to improve, people will have more choices regarding where
they want to work and although parts of the country are still in recession, labor markets
in several major metropolitan areas are moving towards full employment. The most
recent jobs report for April 2014 showed that the US economy added over 200,000 jobs,
more than any single month gain in two years.16 We can stem the tide of people actively
looking by investing in development programs and then ensuring managers have the
proper training to talk about career development opportunities with their team(s) as well
as communicate organizational goals and values. A more competitive labor market also
means employers will need to reemphasize and perhaps redefine their employee value
proposition in order to win what many refer to as the talent war. As opportunities have
improved for candidates, organizations may not be able to match their compensation
philosophy to increased candidate expectations. But if organization leaders thoughtfully
define what makes their organization unique, employees are more likely to appreciate
aspects of the employment experience that go beyond base salary.
Lastly, we anticipate that increased partnerships between businesses and education systems
will be necessary to ensure employees have the skill sets necessary to hit the ground
running when they enter the workforce full time. That means working with secondary
school systems and post-secondary school systems to develop programs that teach the skills
necessary to be successful. More organizations are making efforts to connect with future
generations of workers to establish a pipeline of job candidates. Twenty-seven percent of
hiring managers have promoted careers at their firms to high school students or, in some
cases even younger students; 25 percent plan to do so again in 2014.17
In returning to our theme of employee engagement, the challenge to double the number
of actively engaged employees is more important than ever. Given the tangible benefits,
executives need to begin thinking about how they can increase engagement in their
organizations and in turn drive positive business outcomes. If you have been inspired by
the success stories from the Helios Apollo Awards finalists, we encourage you to take the
enclosed employee engagement survey back to your organization to measure engagement
and start making improvements.
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 8
WORKS CITED
1) Gallup. State of the Global Workplace - Employee Engagement Insights for
Business Leaders Worldwide. Annual Report. Washington, DC: Gallup, Inc.,
2013.
2) Clifton, Jim. The Chairman’s Blog - Insight for Leaders from Gallup’s Work
Around the World. 20 November 2013. 10 April 2014.
3) Kruse, Kevin. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/09/04/why-
employee-engagement/2/. 4 September 2012. 14 April 2014.
4) MacPherson, Don. The State of Employee Engagement: Unvieling Research
from March 2014 HR.com. 15 April 2014.
5) Modern Survey. Creating a Culture of Employee Engagement. Special White
Paper. Minneapolis, MN: Modern Survey, 2014.
6) Bauer, Tayla N. Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success. Special
Report. Alexandria, VA: The SHRM Foundation, 2010.
7) Cross, Rob, Salvatore Parise, and Keith Rollag. Getting New Hires up to Speed
Quickly. MIT Sloan Management Review. 15 January 2005. 7 May 2014.
8) Aon Hewitt. 2013 Trends in Employee Global Engagement. Annual Report.
London, England: Aon Hewitt, 2013.
9) MacPherson, Don. The State of Employee Engagement: Unvieling Research
from March 2014 HR.com. 15 April 2014.
10) Albarado, Kathy. Personal Interview. 5 May 2014.
11) Cabrera, Ángel. Personal Interview. 20 May 2014.
12) Aon Hewitt. 2013 Trends in Employee Global Engagement. Annual Report.
London, England: Aon Hewitt, 2013.
13) Giulioni, Julia Winkle and Beverly Kaye. Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go.
San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2012.
14) Hewlett, Sylvia Ann. “The Real Benefit of Finding a Sponsor.” HBR Blog
Network. 26 January 2011. 30 April 2014.
15) Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women in the Workforce: a Databook. Washington,
DC: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013.
16) MacPherson, Don. The State of Employee Engagement: Unvieling Research
from March 2014 HR.com. 15 April 2014.
17) Davidson, Paul. Spring Stunner: Jobs Report Blows Past Forecast. USA Today. 2
May 2014. 7 May 2014.
18) CareerBuilder. “http://careerbuildercommunications.com/pdf/
careerbuilder2014_forecast.pdf.” 2014. CareerBuilder. 11 April 2014.
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 9
Understanding and analyzing employee satisfaction is vital to employee engagement and business performance. Measuring employee
satisfaction, and then taking the necessary steps to increase it, is essential to attracting, retaining and engaging the high quality talent that is
needed to drive a successful business.
Below is a short survey you can share with your employees to measure your level of employee engagement. This survey is a starting point and
can help you determine if employee engagement is a potential pain point in your organization. Before sending out this survey, we recommend
the following:
• Define what engagement means to your organization.
• Consider the employee population receiving this survey. Do you want it to go out to all departments/divisions or should you set up a test
department/division ahead of the broader roll-out?
• Begin developing how the results of the engagement survey will be communicated to employees.
• Establish measurable outcomes that your organization can use to evaluate progress in improving employee engagement.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SURVEY
1. My direct manager has reviewed my job description with me in the past 12 months
❍ True ❍ False
2. After reviewing the job description with my direct manager, I understand my day-to-day responsibilities and what my direct manager
expects from me
❍ True ❍ False
3. I routinely volunteer for projects and continuously work with my direct manager to expand my footprint in the organization
❍ True ❍ False
4. My direct manager provides feedback both verbally and in writing
❍ True ❍ False
5. I understand career opportunities available in my organization
❍ True ❍ False
6. I understand how my role helps to achieve the values, goals, and strategic outlook of our department and the organization
❍ True ❍ False
7. Management properly recognizes and rewards strong performance
❍ True ❍ False
8. My organization encourages a blended work and personal life philosophy
❍ True ❍ False
Scorecard – Below is a key that can help determine next steps after you have collected this survey from your employees.
7 to 8 True Answers – Excellent Employee Engagement: Continue your efforts being an industry leader in employee engagement.
5 to 6 True Answers – Good Employee Engagement: On the right track with your employee engagement. Continue connecting and
developing employee engagement strategies that can increase your score.
4 and under True Answers – Needs Improvement: May need to reach out to industry leaders like those mentioned in the white paper, and
consulting firms like Helios HR, to determine engagement best practices/solutions to suit your organization.
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 10
Points to consider after delivering the survey:
• Evaluate if the tabulated scores match the expectations you had before you sent out the survey.
• Formalize a plan of action if the scores do not match your pre-survey estimation.
• Consider sending out a similar survey after six months to a year to see if employee engagement has increased.
• Review best practices to better understand strategies to increase your engagement score. Some helpful articles are noted below:
• http://www.helioshr.com/2014/05/05/best-ways-to-reduce-employee-turnover/
• http://www.helioshr.com/2014/04/29/best-ways-to-attract-retain-and-engage-high-performing-teams/
• http://www.helioshr.com/2014/03/14/employee-feedback-surveys-a-review/
• http://www.helioshr.com/2014/03/11/best-ways-to-engage-your-employees-2/
Helios White Paper | Human Capital Rising ©2014 All Rights Reserved. 11
Authors: Amy Gulati, GPHR & SPHR, Human Resource Business Partner, Helios HR, LLC; Bryan Krinzman, MPS &
PHR, Human Resource Business Partner, Helios HR, LLC.
Project Team: Kathy Albarado, CEO, Helios HR, LLC; Mary Browse Blood, PHR, Team Lead, Helios HR, LLC; Keebie
Clements, PRC, Senior Recruiting Consultant, Helios HR, LLC; Amy Dozier, PHR, Senior Human Resources Business
Partner, Helios HR, LLC.
Editing: Mary Browse Blood, PHR, Team Lead, Helios HR, LLC; Amy Dozier, PHR, Senior Human Resources Business
Partner, Helios HR, LLC.
Design: Red Thinking LLC, www.redthinkingllc.com
Helios would like to extend a special thanks to Apollo Award Honorees that allowed us to share their stories:
Baker, Tilly, Virchow, Krause, LLP, Evans Consulting, Fulcrum IT Services, LLC, George Mason University, INTEGRITYOne
Partners, Merkle, Inc, and Neustar, Inc.
This report is published by Helios HR, LLC. (Helios). All content is for information purposes only and is not to be
construed as guaranteed outcome.
©2014 Helios HR, LLC. All rights reserved.
For more information, please contact:
Helios HR
1925 Isaac Newton Square, East, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20190
(703) 860- 3882
www.helioshr.com
1925 Isaac Newton Square East, Suite 200, Reston, VA 20190
HeliosHR.com | Info@HeliosHR.com | 703.860.3882
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