Employee engagement is an outcome of the individual's experience to date with his/her employer. That experience will have provided lessons. S/he will make choices based on these lessons.

1. Employee Engagement: An
outcome and a choice
Nigel McPolin
Founder and CEO

2. How can we empower
employees to choose
‘engaged’ in the
workplace?

3. How an organization views
the definition of employee
engagement can greatly
impact on the success of
strategies put in place to
improve it.

4. The Benefits of Engagement
are clear
HR and Business Leaders understand
that the engagement of the workforce
brings significant
• Financial
• Business and
• Health benefits
For both the employer and the employee

5. To reap these benefits,
is it time to take a new
look at how we define
employee engagement

6. What is the problem with
current definitions?

7. Most current definitions help
us understand what an
engaged workforce looks like

8. They tell us the ultimate
result that we are trying to
achieve.
They give us a goal.

9. Good…
But do they go far enough?

10. Do these definitions go far
enough in helping us decide
how to achieve improved
engagement?

11. At etimes2 our key motto is
‘etimes2 does more’. So
we wanted a more practical
definition focusing on the
early stages of employee
engagement

12. But what is the etimes2
definition of employee
engagement and how have
we used it to develop our
engagement software?

13. etimes2 definition is clear
and simple yet powerful
Employee Engagement:
An Outcome and a Choice

14. Employee Engagement is an
outcome of the individual
employee’s experiences to
date in his/her current job
which then informs a choice
made by the employee to
either engage or disengage

15. The 1st Part
Employee Engagement: An
Outcome

16. Engaged or Disengaged?
Whether an employee is engaged or disengaged
is a personal matter.
It is a result of an individual’s
• Workplace history
• His/ her interactions with their
– Direct line manager/ Senior management/
Colleagues/ peers
• Workplace relationships
• Everything that has happened from day 1
•

17. The history of these
experiences will ultimately
decide whether a person is
engaged or disengaged

18. Learned Behaviors
As employees, we learn whether
• Our opinions and suggestions
are listened to and valued
• Our efforts are seen
•

19. These lessons that an
employee encounters on
a daily basis develops
his/her efficacy at work

20. Let me explain ……

21. Efficacy is how we
perceive thing will turn
out for us – well or badly

22. When a person’s experiences
within an organization are
negative, his/ her efficacy will
be negative and anything tried
by management will be viewed
will suspicion

23. Now for the 2nd Part
Employee Engagement: A
Choice

24. This is the other side of the
‘discretionary effort’ coin

25. Engaged employees choose
to give ‘discretionary effort’.
That choice has been driven
by his/ her experience and
history with the employer.

26. Disengaged employees make
a different choice. Their
choice will be to avoid the
experiences that cause
negative emotions.

27. Example
Mary feels her opinion is never
listened to or valued:
• She may choose not to offer her opinion
even when sought
• She has learned from her past
experiences
• She will choose behavior to avoid the
negative emotion
•

28. Perception is King

29. This is why etimes2 has
developed employee
engagement software to
enable our clients to build
engagement from the ground
level upwards

30. The individual is the key
component in driving
employee engagement in an
organization

31. Engaged employees brings
fantastic benefits to an
organization. This is why so
many organizations see
engagement as a key strategy

32. It is difficult to sow the seeds
of engagement on barren
ground.

33. Cultivate the ground first
so it will receive the
engagement seeds and
enable them to grow

34. But How do you Cultivate the
Ground?

35. Cultivate the Ground
• Pay attention to the individual employee
• Gradually amend learned behavior
• ‘Chip away’ at perceptions that ‘there is
little in this for me’ to ‘you know, this
might work out OK for me’
• Perception won’t be changed quickly
• Each step will bring significant return
•

36. Technology can help
Technology has enabled organizations
to
• Communicate
• Involve
• Value every individual employee
•

37. 4 step Employee
Engagement Process
Etimes2 employee engagement platform
applies the 4 step employee engagement
process
1. Starting with the individual
2. Building engagement through the team
3. Through to the direct line managers
4. Finally to corporate level

38. Summary
To improve employee
engagement, we must cultivate the
ground by working with each
individual employee to provide a
welcoming bed for the seeds to
take root

39. Summary
Senior management must then
provide the seed (employee
engagement strategies)

40. Summary
And then provide the water
(support/ training/ recognition) to
the team and manager levels to
nurture and nourish the seeds
while they take root and grow into
an engaged workforce.

41. What is your organization
doing to empower your
employees to choose
engaged?

42. What is your organization
doing to cultivate the
ground receiving your
engagement seeds

43. Full article available here

44. Nigel McPolin is the creator and founder
of Etimes2, an Engagement Building
Platform that drives sustained behavior,
engagement and performance
throughout the organization.
Visit www.etimes2.com for more
information and a free trial