Inward Blog
Why Are Employee Engagement Initiatives Falling Short Of Expectations?
December 1, 2015
The field of employee engagement has steadily gained momentum as business leaders are recognizing the link between happy employees and satisfied customers. However, the consensus among the many research sources tracking employee engagement show that there is a large gap between the amount of resources being put into these programs, and their actual effects on creating engagement.
Posted by Matt Manning at 11:00am
Employee Engagement, Communication Platforms, Happy Employees, Millennials
A Small Gesture; A Little Effort Can Go A Long Way To Support A Veteran
November 10, 2015
Last night while watching TV I saw an advertisement that moved me in a very significant way. It made me feel good inside, like I could make a difference by making a small gesture of gratitude and appreciation for the men and women who serve our country. It was called Greenlight A Vet. www.greenlightavet.com/
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
Would A Millennial Want To Work For GE?
November 3, 2015
GE to millennials is like the big bad wolf to baby boomers. Apparently GE’s employer value proposition has shifted to make it appear cool to work at the company, while also doing meaningful work. There was once a time where working for GE was reaching a pinnacle in one’s career. But over the years, with the advent of entrepreneurial startups it seems as if everyone wants to work for Google, Facebook, and Twitter rather than one of the “behemoths” of our past.
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
Why Do I Keep Seeing The Same Research Data On Employee Engagement?
October 27, 2015
Employee engagement is on everyone’s mind lately, and with the increased focus on this critical driver of performance and the customer experience, research and consulting companies are releasing results of surveys and studies on a very regular basis. Gallup conducts an annual survey on engagement levels. Deloitte released the results of a study that addressed the gap between acknowledgement of the employee engagement challenge and the effort to address it. And Melcrum just released a white paper with nine observations on common practices by Internal Communications professionals to improve employee engagement. Add research by Gartner, the Conference Board, and others, and it can become quite overwhelming to absorb and process the data. And yet it all supports the same conclusion: employee engagement is a major challenge facing companies today and we have not successfully moved the needle for the past 15 years.
Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am
Southwest Airlines Does It Again With “Transfarency”
October 20, 2015
I am a big fan of Southwest Airlines. Despite the skirmishes that happened between two passengers this week from LA to San Francisco, I am still a big believer of their philosophy and marketing programs.
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
Hate Your Job, But Love Your Company?
October 13, 2015
Can you really love your company, but hate your job? Sure, it happens all of the time! Employees love their company if they can align their personal values to the culture, and if they believe in the vision, strategy, and brand promise of the organization. But often, they are in jobs that do not satisfy or challenge them, or they do not understand how their actions support the vision and strategy that they believe in. Now, I’m not talking about a project or a task that you may hate, but rather a position that in general is not inspiring or connected to the bigger purpose. A recent study by the Covey Institute revealed that only 20% of employees have a clear line of sight between their work and the goals of their organization.
Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am
Employee Engagement, Personal Values, Line of Sight, Passion
Will United Airlines Ever Return To The “Friendly Skies?”
October 6, 2015
Over the last three weeks there has been a swirl of news reporting and events about United Airlines. United tapped Oscar Munoz, the former chief executive of CSX Corporation, to take the reins as its new chief executive. His appointment was unexpected and announced as part of a shakeup of the airlines management, coming after the resignation of Jeff Smisek, who was ousted in connection with findings from an internal investigation related to a federal probe at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
Low Employee Morale In Ad Agencies Raises Eyes and Concerns
October 1, 2015
I’m quite confident that employee engagement levels vary by industry and job functions. In fact I know that to be the case according to both Forrester and Gallup. However, this week I saw a new piece of research from Campaign USA that suggests advertising agencies are no different from other companies across the United States. It said that 70% have low employee morale and most are looking for new job opportunities.
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
How Do You Reconcile The Need for Work-Life Balance with a Culture of High Engagement?
September 29, 2015
Work-Life balance has long been a topic of conversation when talking about issues that need to be addressed to increase employee engagement and satisfaction. I started my career as a public accountant. Especially during tax season, it was not unusual or unexpected for auditors to work 60 to 80 hours per week. When we thought about work-life balance, it meant that for those few hours when we were not working, the last thing we wanted to do was to think about the office or our jobs. There really was a very clear line between our work and personal life and they only converged if we attended a company social event like a holiday party. So when we attended social events or got together with family or friends, we directed our conversations and discussions to other things that were important to us, like friends, hobbies, family, travel, etc.
Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am
Does One Size Fit All In Employee Engagement?
September 24, 2015
The other day I was approached by a prospective new manufacturing client. They had a robust employee engagement and employee brand program, but for reasons unbeknownst to him, they were not being effective. They were doing all the right things in regard to regular frequent communications, having a message that was aligned with corporate vision and mission, and a decent recognition / reward program which supported appropriate behaviors and innovations. But the programs were not having the impact he and senior management desired. He had hoped for higher employee retention, greater brand ambassadorship and advocacy in higher productivity and efficiency of performance but none of that was happening.
Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am
Employee Engagement, Internal Communications, Branding, Marketing