SHAPESHIFTERS

Businesses that continue to ignore employee insight are risking everything. Employees have evolved. They have a much more complex role to play.

Failling to act on important employee ideas, insight and feedback can turn a succesful business into a disaster zone.

Yet many companies still think of their employees as just one way messengers, when in fact, they have so much more value to give.

Not listening to employee insights has unstuck many big brands, causing negative financial, environmental and reputational impacts: BP, Toyota and Starbucks.

There are significant advantages to empowering your employees to speak and listen on behalf of your business. When trusted and empowered, employees are capable of a contribution way beyond their role.

New capabilities

Times have changed. So have your employees.

It’s undisputed that our employees are more educated than ever. Already in the US over 40% of Millennials have a university degree, compared to 16% of Boomers entering the labour market back in 1964.

And by the end of this decade almost 70% of the Australia workforce will have been born since the ‘80s and over 50% of new workers will have a university degree.

Our workforces are now more sophisticated. Our education system encourages sharing of opinions, ideas and contribution. Smart phones and tablets enable our employees to have their say and take part in whatever movement or conversation they desire.

So why not activate this at work?

Value beyond their role

Employees can be SO much more than messengers. They are now influencers, listeners, monitors, sensors, responders and can create value way beyond their actual role.

But as leaders we need to empower them to shift their shape and activate these capabilities.

By empowering employees to have conversations, we are able to enlist their skills in crucial elements of our business. Consider how an army of eyes, ears and minds could improve your:
• Emergency and crisis management
• Customer intelligence and listening
• Stakeholder and community insights
• Horizon scanning (economy, markets)
• Thought leadership and marketing
• And much more.

Questions for you:

Are your leaders empowering your employees to be part of the conversation? Or is your business limiting results and ideas by excluding them from the conversation?

• How are you helping your employees shift their shape?
• How are you harnessing new capabilities across your business?
• What do employees need so they can get involved?
• What opportunities are being missed?
• How could success improve with a more inclusive conversation?