In weeks 1 and 2, I encouraged you to give some thought to the following things;
Week 1:
- Your business goals for 2021
- What you need from your team in order to achieve these goals
Week 2:
- How well connected are you to your team? (Start an engagement plan by adding things from checklist)
- How can you be a better leader? What can you improve about your business and yourself? (Continue building your engagement plan)
This week we're looking at the second half of the Ten Space engagement framework - Fulfilment and Wellbeing. This is where engagement gets really personal. Let's take a look at what each of these mean for your employees and your business.
Fulfilment
Fulfilment is all about answering the employee's question "what's in it for me". It's about how well their role meets their personal and professional needs. This pillar recognises that the employment relationship is a two-way street and that employees are looking for much more than just a salary in return for their time and dedication.
Here's some of the questions to ask yourself in this area:
- Do the rewards I offer the team, match the contribution they make? Are they fair and motivating?
- Are rewards aligned to the right outcomes? Are they driving the right behaviours?
- How much focus do you place on personal and career engagement? Are people able to grow in your business? Is this a priority?
- Do you design roles and take an approach that allows work to compliment your team's lives? Are you thinking about flexible working? Part time roles? Remote working?
- What would your teams say if you asked them if they felt challenged in their roles? Too much? Too little? Just enough? Is the work interesting for them?
- Are they proud of the work that they do?
Task 4: Reflecting on the list above, is it a two-way street in your business? What else could you be doing? Add them to your notes from the week one exercise. Your engagement plan is starting to take shape!
Wellbeing
Wellbeing is about whether employees feeling safe, secure and supported in their role. It can be both emotionally and physically. Employees will struggle to be engaged if they are worried that their job isn't safe; they are going through a difficult time and haven't got the support that they need, or they can't be truly authentic whilst at work.
Here's some of the questions to ask yourself in this area:
- Do my teams feel safe and secure in their roles? Are they worried about their position or their future in the business?
- Are there good support mechanisms in place if employees need it? Do policies and practices "do the right thing"? Do leaders know what support tools are available to them and are able to use them effectively?
- How diverse is your team? Are you proud of the diversity in your team? Have you got more work to do here?
- How inclusive is your business? Have you got more work to do here?
- Are your employees able to be authentic and truly themselves at work?
- Is there more you can be doing to support employee's emotional, physical and financial wellbeing?
Task 5: Reflecting on the list above, do you provide a safe and secure place for your workforce? What else could you be doing?
Identifying solutions
If you've identified some gaps, you can work on solutions by thinking about the following things:
- What feedback have my team given me that has indicated what solutions, improvements or changes they'd like to see?
- Who can I ask / how can I ask them to know where I can make an impact?
- Do I know people or businesses who are doing this well that I can get ideas from?
- Do I need some expertise to help me?
If anything in here has struck a cord and you'd like to create your plan with the support of Ten Space, you can contact victoria@tenspace.co.uk
