Our employee engagement surveys have exposed a dangerous trend that has become prominent over the past several years. Today’s workforce is less connected to their organizations than ever before. This absent connection, like an unplugged power cord, acts to inhibit employee engagement more rapidly than nearly anything else. More employees today report being psychologically absent from work than a decade ago.
This month’s Inc. magazine focuses on workplace culture. The issue highlights unusually effective practices of both small and large organizations. Surprisingly, even during a recession, these organizations continue to invest heavily in their employees and the culture. Not surprisingly, these organizations, in which employees feel most connected to the organization, tend to be most successful.
When the NY Jets built their new 120,000-square-foot athletic facility, they made a concerted effort to create a structure that would ensure each employee understood that their business is football. They wanted to connect their employees to the root of the organization. This involved creating an environment where the business and football sides of the organization were united (inspired, in fact, by a similar focus at Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare giant founded by the great-grandfather of Jets owner, Woody Johnson). 
Among other things, the effort involved many dozens of TV monitors, each tuned to sports channels, as well as architecture in which nearly every office had a view of the outdoor practice fields. This view served to remind all employees that they are in the business of football.
While intuitively this makes sense, we find that many managers and organizations do not put this into practice. Many times, employees are disconnected from the heart of the business. They do not understand the product. They are not well-versed in the terminology. The organization has not been transparent with information. It’s no surprise that today’s workforce reports disconnect.
Much of this disconnect can be traced directly back to the manager.
We have found that those leaders who have been most successful during this economy have been those that have been able to rally their troops around a common cause and refocus them on the core of the business. In order to do so, this leader must have a clear view of the business (think NY Jets’ offices).
As we conduct 360-degree feedback with managers, we use three questions as critical predictors of how connected the manager’s team will be to the organization’s mission. They relate to how well the manager:
- “Demonstrates a clear understanding of the factors that impact our success as a business.”
- “Makes decisions that reflect a clear understanding of what we do.”
- “Sets clear direction that aligns his/her team with the organization’s strategy.”
It’s no surprise that those managers who best understand what business they are in, and are most engaged personally, have teams who tend to be most closely connected to the business– and are consequently most engaged. While this understanding is certainly not the only thing that contributes to employee engagement, leaders who help their employees rally and refocus on the mission of the organization are far more likely to have teams that are motivated, satisfied, and effective.
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