Whether it is developing and manufacturing product, fulfilling orders, supporting the field, planning and executing events, or delivering on the myriad other aspects required to keep a direct selling company on the path to success, company employees provide the backbone to all direct selling endeavors. Keeping them happy, fulfilled and challenged is the key to keeping good employees around.
As direct selling continues to grow in the United States and around the world, the demand for top talent also expands. The companies that are most successful at recruiting and retaining that talent will put themselves at a natural advantage for continued growth and success.
The data we receive back each year from our Best Places to Work program is extremely valuable to not only the companies but to the industry in general.
Year after year, what we have learned is that higher levels of engagement are linked to:
- Better employee retention
- Higher productivity
- More profit
Organizations are complex webs of diverse and dynamic relationships. Different types of relationships impact employees in different ways—but all relationships impact employee engagement, performance, and ultimately an organization’s bottom line. When you measure employee engagement, it’s critical to evaluate what’s happening with these relationships. Our Best Places to Work partner Quantum Workplace gives you six ways you must be measuring employee engagement.
Measure at Every Level
1 Across the organization
Measuring engagement across the organization helps you establish a baseline. This is the type of measurement you’re probably most familiar with. You’ll benefit from a high-level overview of strengths and opportunities. You’ll also have a benchmark to measure against for different groups and teams, as well as future engagement surveys.
The right tool for the job: annual engagement survey.
2 Across groups and teams
Once you have your company-wide engagement data, you should slice and dice it in ways that are meaningful to your organization. Consider how your organization functions, breaking employees down into more targeted groups like division, department, job level, or location. Identify areas where you need to dig deeper with more targeted questions.
The right tools for the job: annual engagement survey, pulse and life cycle surveys, feedback cycles.
3 Among individuals
If you want to impact a specific group or team, you’ll need to engage the individuals within it. This is where managers become critical to the mission of engagement. You simply can’t rely on surveys to collect and analyze individual perceptions. You need your managers to keep a constant pulse on what’s happening at an individual level.
The right tools for the job: feedback, one-on-one meetings, talent review metrics, goal tracking, recognition
Measure in Every Direction
4 The institutional relationship
The institutional relationship is the relationship between employees and your organization. It includes general sentiment and perceptions on procedures and policies, goals, company vision, management, technology and equipment, fairness, and more.
Why it matters: Helps organizations understand high-level concerns that need to be addressed.
5 The vertical relationship
The vertical relationship is the relationship between manager and employee—going both ways. Employees rely on their managers for clear communication, coaching, and feedback. Managers rely on employees to get their work done, perform well, and help build a positive reputation for their team.
Why it matters: Helps identify strong and struggling teams.
6 The horizontal relationship
The horizontal relationship is the relationship between coworkers. Employees rely on their coworkers to be team players; be respectful, accepting, and inclusive; help when needed; share knowledge and resources; and help take ideas and projects to the finish line.
Why it matters: Helps identify opportunities to align and motivate teams and individuals
Relationships at work have a big impact on employee engagement.
To learn more about the importance of workplace relationships—and how to measure them—download the eBook: The Relationship-Driven Workplace at QuantumWorkplace.com
