The
lessons Lego can teach us about Employee Engagement.
Blog: Paul Hitchens is
Author of ‘Create the Perfect Brand’ and ‘Successful Brand Management – in a
week’ published by Hodder Education. He is the Course Director for ‘Brand
Strategy & HR’ hosted by Symposium Training.
Lego
is one of the world’s most enduringly popular brands despite repeated reference
to its pain inducing qualities when stepped on while barefoot at 4 o’clock in
the morning. I recently had the good fortune to take my son and a group of his
friends to see the new Lego Movie.
I now have the films theme song ‘Everything is awesome!!!’ by Tegan and
Sara stuck on repeat play in my subconscious. It’s a high-energy celebration of
the power of working together for a common goal and it struck me that this
could be an anthem for Employee Engagement. The Lego Movie is a self-fulfilling
prophecy following the life of Emmet, an ordinary LEGO mini-figure with no
exceptional qualities, who stumbles upon an object that propels him into the
role of the "special" one as foretold by prophecy. Emmet reveals that
sometimes guidelines and a framework for behavior can pay dividends and that
every employee has the potential to be a Brand Ambassador. All work and no play
had made Emmet a dull boy, but given an opportunity to shine he demonstrates
the Lego ethos to ‘Play well’.
Employee
engagement is the balance between emotional attachment to the organisation and
individual job satisfaction. There is a frequently told story that John F
Kennedy allegedly made an unannounced visit to the Cape Canaveral Space Centre
during the Apollo Space Program. He approached three men in overalls and asked
each in turn what they were doing. The first replied that he was ‘earning a
living’, the second replied that he ‘cleaned away all the rubbish’ and the
third replied with a smile that he was ‘helping to put a man on the moon’. The third man displays some of the
attributes of the Lego Movie’s character Emmet, he is an engaged employee,
someone who feels a direct link between the job they do and the achievement of
the organisation.
Satisfaction (I love my Job) + Contribution
(I help my business achieve its goals) = Engagement
The
reasons for a lack of engagement include poor leadership, weak communication
and a lack of understanding about the brand. The combination of long working
hours, frozen pay scales, lunch breaks at desks and the intrusive access of
digital communication can create a resentful workforce. Health, prospects and a
sincere interest in the welfare of the employee are critical. People are
engaged when they like their work, they understand its value and they enjoy
working with their colleagues.
Effective
employee engagement enables employees to realise their full potential at work.
To enable this they must feel respected, included, listened to and valued by
their colleagues and Line Managers. Engaged employees find a sense of belonging
in their organisation and are inspired to put their best efforts into making it
a success. High levels of employee engagement are linked with increased
operational efficiency and reduced loss from theft and errors.
The benefits of Employee Engagement:
- A shared feeling of pride and inclusiveness.
- Employee contentment with career and future prospects.
- Proactive positive helpful attitude.
- Improved health and wellbeing.
- Lower absence rates.
- Employees live the brand values.
We
cannot all expect to work in Legoland, but we can work towards building an Employer
Brand culture where you can work and play well.
Thank
you
Paul
Hitchens
I
help people and companies to build strong brands inside and outside their
organisation. I often ask delegates at my workshops to describe their favourite
brands and I expect them to reveal the stand out qualities and the stories they
associate with those cherished products and services. This is because strong
brands have meaning and stand for something that’s relevant to us.
Paul
presents the following one-day courses with Symposium Training -
Brand
Strategy and Human Resources – Building the Employer Brand
21 May 2014 – London
2 July 2014 – Birmingham
2 July 2014 – Birmingham
Your brand needs you! The power of employer branding.
Copyright
© Verve Interactive Ltd 2014
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