Rethinking Team Engagement

The gimmicks aren't working

I was working in a large organisation in Sydney with about 3000 employees. We were coming out of a period of major change. The engagement scores were down significantly. Most leaders were keen to explain the low scores on the recent changes. No surprises there.

But then this happened.

The Exec ran an emergency planning session aimed at lifting the scores. The list of activities that came out were a shopping list of features from those “great places to work”. My colleagues named it the GOOGLE-PLAN ;)

Lunchtime yoga. Pets at work. Birthday off. Charity days...You get the picture.

All very lovely. But these were not going to make any difference to our performance. The plan was doomed from the start.

Gimmicks only go so far
The Google-gimmicks might make employees FEEL better, or enjoy being at work more, but they are not the main driver of engagement in any organisation. These are short term gimmicks that only distract managers and executive teams from what is really going on.

It was on tip toes that I had to explain to the Exec that Google most likely also had strong leadership, a culture of psychological safety, inclusion and two way trusting communication between managers and employees. Plus more.

Buffets and free water bottles aren't the answer
I see so many businesses launch a “campaign of engagement” on the back of their survey results. They launch stuff. Give away stuff. Buffets and free water bottles everywhere.

And nothing happens.

Rethink your approach: focus on what matters most
In my latest report RETHINKING ENGAGEMENT I share insights from over one hundred senior people leaders in eighty businesses. The stats are unnerving:

Most leaders do not understand what their teams need. 
Most leaders do not know their teams’ preferences.
Most leaders haven’t explained how employee performance is measured.

Yet 90% of leaders score their leadership 7 or more out of 10.

Times have changed a lot. But many things have not. Employees still thrive with clarity, alignment, and regular conversations that build trust.

It is time for a rethink on the employee engagement. It is time to get back to basics and focus on what matters most: clarity on vision, role, contribution, and performance.