ust 5 months old, the early-engagement program from employee recognition company
Michael C. Fina is too new for clients to measure results, but the company is certain
it knows what bonds employees with their new organizations.
uAccording to the company’s research, early engagement
involves nine elements:
uEmployees must believe in the mission, vision and values
of the company.
uEmployees must understand the corporate strategy.
uCompanies must provide employees with learning opportunities.
uManagers must foster strong relationships with employees.
uManagers must foster strong employee-to-employee relationships.
uManagers must help employees define goals and understand
expectations.
uManagers must ensure that employees understand the value
of performance reviews.
uManagers and the company must recognize the value of
each employee.
uManagers and the company must create a real sense of
value for employees.
Based on these nine elements, Fina’s program incorporates
13 “touch points” during the employee’s first year. Most of the touch points are
e-mail or multimedia messages focusing on recognition and feedback. Small branded
gifts are given, however, on the first day of employment and thereafter according
to the employer’s preferences. “It’s a one-source total recognition strategy that
aligns with a company’s onboarding strategy,” says Jeffrey Fina, the company’s vice
president. “It’s a tool to help get employees engaged from day one.”
Fina says that if the program’s nine elements are effectively
communicated, the employee “has the greatest chance of engagement” from the start.
The last reward in the program is given just before
the employee’s one-year milestone. “It’s up to the company to provide one-year [service]
recognition,” Fina says.
Employee start dates dictate both the timing and the
contents of the e-mail and multimedia messages. On day one, a message might ask
if the employee feels welcome, how the recruiting process felt and other first-day
questions.
At the six-month mark, the employee could be asked if
the job meets expectations, if the right tools for the job are available, if he
or she understands the job.
“Touch points are completely customizable, and when
they occur [is] up to the company,” Fina says. “But the most important aspect is
that they occur frequently.”
On the same schedule as the employee, managers get messages
that request feedback and identify employee achievements.
“This helps foster the relationship between managers
and employees,” Fina says. “Employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers.”
Fina’s program is based on the characteristics of Generation
Y, also known as the Millennials, who are the newest generation entering the workforce.
“Generation Y’s expectations are very different from
Generation X and the boomers,” Fina says. “It’s more about them. If they do something
for a company, they expect something in return.”
Without constant tit-for-tat exchanges with employers,
Millennial employees don’t feel appreciated.
“By the time a [Millennial] worker is 40 years old,
he or she will have changed jobs 10 times, so they are changing jobs every two years,”
Fina says.
Given that the first 18 months of a job is when an employee
is most likely to jump ship, Fina says that engagement has to start on the first
day of employment, “if not before.”
Workforce Management, September 22,
2008, p. 29
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