Employee Engagement

What is Employee Engagement?

There have been numerous studies using many different definitions of employee engagement. The Conference Board of Canada looked across this mass of data and came up with a blended definition. They define employee engagement as “a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort to his or her work”.

Some think of engagement as making a connection with an employee’s mind, heart and hands.

Why is Employee Engagement Important?

Regardless of how it is defined, there is clear and mounting evidence that high levels of employee engagement have a profound effect on individual, group and corporate performance. Retention, turnover, productivity, customer service, safety and loyalty are all impacted by the level of employee engagement.

What Builds Employee Engagement?

Again, there is a vast amount of research on the topic of employee engagement and what factors impact it. The Conference Board found that leading research agreed on eight key drivers. These drivers are listed below along with questions funeral home managers can ask themselves to assess how they feel they are doing in these key areas.

• Trust and integrity:
  • As a manager, do I ‘walk the talk’?
  • Are my actions consistent with company mission, visions and values?
• Nature of the job:
  • Do my employees do work that they find mentally stimulating day-to-day?
  • Do they have control over the flow and pace of their jobs?
  • Is our work environment and structure flexible and attuned to the needs of employees (such as work/life balance, family and childcare needs etc.)?
• Line of sight between employee performance and company performance:
  • Do my employees understand how their work contributes to the funeral home’s performance?
  • Do I clearly communicate my expectations and provide constructive feedback?
• Career growth opportunities:
  • Are my employees aware of future opportunities for growth?
  • Do I have regular conversations with my employees about their career goals and interests?
• Pride about the company:
  • Do my employees feel proud to be associated with our funeral home?
  • Do I and the other leaders maintain the funeral home’s reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards in the eyes of our employees?
• Co-workers/team members:
  • Does our environment foster trust and collaboration?
  • Are there opportunities for employees to work together?
  • Do employees care about their colleagues as people?
• Employee development:
  • As a manager, do I make an effort to develop my employee’s skills?
  • Do I have regular conversations with my employees about their development needs?
  • Does the funeral home make an investment in time and funds to develop employee potential?
• Relationship with one’s manager:
  • Do my employees value their relationship with me?
  • Do I place a high importance on strengthening my relationship with each of my employees?

As a Manager, What can I do to Influence the Level of Engagement?

Employee Relationships

All engagement studies, regardless of locations, size of company, and nature of industry or demographics of employee group consistently find that the direct relationship with one’s manager is one of the strongest of all drivers. Given the nature of the funeral service profession, engaging employees’ heads, hearts and hands likely comes naturally to you. Being aware of the specific factors listed above, talking about these areas with employees, and taking action where there is opportunity for improvement can further enhance the level of engagement within your funeral home.

HR Policies, Programs and Practices

Funeral home manager’s also have an opportunity to directly impact employee engagement through the decisions they make in regards to human resource programs, policies and practices. Your human resource practices such as those relating to compensation and benefits, career development, performance management, workplace diversity, workplace wellness, flexible work arrangements, and employee recognition will all impact employee engagement. By looking at these programs as part of your HR Planning process and seeking input from staff you can align these programs to support employee engagement and long