Singapore - With the slowdown in the economy causing a problematic stir in businesses, employee engagement is more important than ever. Towers Perrin shares some ways to help employees manage change during uncertain times.
First, reinforce your strategy and vision in every employee meeting to help align each employee to the same priorities, and keep the organisation moving forward in unison. As everyone in the organisation makes decisions every day, the constant reinforcement of the corporate strategy will ensure everyone has the same goals.
Next, ask teams to develop their own plans for improving quality, pleasing customers and reducing costs. This shows employees they are valued, even in a bad economic environment. Dr. Brent Ruge, group leader of Towers Perrin-ISR Singapore, says goals "are best set at the individual or team level as they [companies] can take into detailed account the type of work that is being done at the ground levels".
While transparency is always preferred by employees, it is even more crucial during a downturn as it builds trust and keeps them up to date with the current situation. However, Ruge feels that total transparency is never completely attained because internal frictions may occur if there is improper disclosure. Rather, he says "it is best to transparently disclose information about team or company results so that each organisation has a better idea about its goal attainment".
Last but not least, challenge employees to cross-train and learn new jobs which add value when they acquire new skills. It also allows those who manage to adapt accordingly to fare better during a restructuring exercise. However, companies should first decide if cross-training contributes to the overall goals of the organisation.
"If the individual, supervisor, goals and objectives are not considered, then it is likely that the training will fail to achieve the desired results," says Ruge.
