Hiring for Engagement: The Strategy You Can’t Afford to Ignore

Let’s talk about engagement. According to Gallup, team engagement reduces turnover by 43%. That's a big number, especially in a small business.

But how do we define team engagement?

Put simply, we want to know if each individual team member feels like they belong.  Do they believe in our vision and mission? Do they feel like they're part of that? Do they feel like they're heard? An engaged team member will quickly answer “Yes!” to each of those questions.

So the next question is: How do we make sure they’re saying yes?

Well, our Talent Strategist says that creating those “Yes!” answers begins at the hiring phase. A team member who never sees an opportunity for career growth within the company will never be fully engaged. Creating engagement requires paths for development, chances to contribute, and an outlet to be heard. If we as the business owner ensure our new hires have room to grow, engagement from those new hires will come naturally.

Now once we hire that new person, how do we ensure they stay?

And not only stay engaged, but stay with the business? Retention is another key piece of engagement because engagement grows over time. If your staff is caught in a revolving door, they’ll never become fully engaged. Our Talent Strategist likes to tell our clients that the cost of a single person leaving the business is 2 to 3 times what that person was being paid. So retention is not only crucial to your team engagement, it’s also crucial to your bottom line. The solution here is balance. The proverbial work life balance that we talk about all the time. Do your employees feel like they can take a vacation? And is there coverage for that vacation so employees aren’t mounted with work before and after they’re leave?. 

The success of your business is directly tied to the engagement of your team. Above we discussed how you can bake that engagement into your hiring, but you also need to measure the engagement of the team you have. If you need a place to start, check out Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey and Walt Brown’s BITE7. I’ve listed their questions below, but you can find more information in the links.

Gallup’s Q12 Employee Engagement Survey

1. I know what is expected of me at work.

2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.

3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.

4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. 

5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.

6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.

7. At work, my opinions seem to count.

8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.

9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

10. I have a best friend at work.

11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.

12. This last year, I have opportunities at work to learn and grow.

Walt Brown’s BITE7

1. Do I belong?

2. Do I believe?

3. Do I understand what I’m accountable for?

4. Do I understand how I’m measured?

5. Am I heard?

6. Do I have opportunities to develop?

7. Am I balanced?