Introduction

Disengaged employees work less hard and leave, with direct recruitment and indirect costs to replace them. Negative word of mouth can also damage the employer brand.  Having an integrated approach to engagement from before they join to after they leave at all touch points of the employee experience is vital, and an often neglected area. Engagement is all about emotion, when companies are set up to be ’thinking’ more than ‘feeling’ organisations.

Forward thinking companies are realising that creating tailor made propositions for talent including rewards, job design and career strategy is the way forward to engage their best talent and attract the future talent they need.

A company needs to have clear values and to demonstrate that they deliver them in reality through their behaviours and policies.  What companies do in practice is more important than what they say. These examples share best practice and we hope give you some ideas and food for thought for your initiatives.


Firmdale Hotels

Firmdale Hotels created a scheme to empower staff to add value through “going the extra mile” in customer service. A one-hour interactive training session was designed, with the primary aim of communicating a new incentive scheme that would award employees for individual acts of outstanding customer service.

Each employee receives an incentive card on which managers record each act of “added value”.  Staff who achieve five added value acts receive a meal of their choice from the hotel menu and, for 10, a bottle of wine or box of chocolates and entrance into a prize draw for a trip to New York.

Best examples of where staff added value are discussed in weekly managers meetings, and then mentioned by the managers in their team briefings to spread good practice.

Examples are also put on computers in the staff canteen for all staff to access to see what can be done to create excellent customer service. The scheme has helped the firm achieve its target of increasing repeat business to 50%.

Firmdale Hotels were category winner in the Employee engagement section of the CIPD People Management awards 2009. 


Virgin Media

Virgin Media employs over 15,000 people and wanted a reward and recognition programme that would keep all members of its workforce engaged.

Accessible to all staff 24 hours a day and promoting the five key behaviours that the organisation had identified as fundamental to its business: “human”, “responsible”, “enabling”, “passionate” and “innovative”.

Nominations known as ‘shouts’ are given for colleagues who then receive points for their own online reward bank account.  The scheme is designed to be flexible and appeal to all ages and sexes. Posters are also displayed around the office for teams that have received shouts. Users can spend their points immediately or save them for something special.

There are monthly random prize draw for £50, a quarterly random draw for special prizes such as UK weekend breaks, and an annual “grand prize” draw, which has included a trip to New York.

In one month alone, 5,336 shouts were made and 70 percent of ‘shouters’ linked a key behaviour to their nomination.

Network Rail

Existing employees who have done the advertised job are used in recruitment advertising, which engages them and makes them the hero of the advertising.

Virgin

Virgin believe that a happy well motivated workforce = happy customers = happy stakeholders. They have a single-minded strategy and express it simply and creatively, expressing the employer brand values of Human, Drive, Freedom, Courage and Fun throughout the employee experience. They believe that different things engage different people, so gestures are personal and targeted around ‘what’s in it for me’ + recognising people and reward.

For example, welcome cards are sent to new recruits 1 week before they join and they receive a welcome pack on their first day, including a security pass, Virgin brand goodies and useful information.

Corporate social responsibility is an integral part of the culture.

• Virgin contributes to charities the employees choose.
• There are one day volunteering opportunities for a favourite charity
• Longer ‘wake up’ trips abroad open people’s eyes and they share their experiences with colleagues on their return
• Team challenges are centred around community activities, e.g., redecorating a children’s home

Virgin have thought about the whole employer brand experience, from pre joining to post leaving and made sure that the Virgin employer brand’s ‘moments of truth’ engages the target audience consistently and impactfully.

To read '10 ways to disengage your talent' click on the free download button below.

To get some free useful data about employee engagement, click on the Did you know? button below

Now that you have read about how companies are tackling talent, why not click on 'Services,' to see how we can help you specifically?