The impact of employee engagement has never been clearer. Engaged employees go the extra mile and their enthusiasm rubs off on other employees and customers. The energy they bring to the job improves productivity and they stay with the business longer which improves employee retention. So the question becomes, if engagement is so important, why aren't more organisations dedicated to it and why is it so difficult to sustain? Find out the secrets to employee engagement success as well as how you can remove common engagement barriers, and make it practically work for your team and workplace.

1. TM
Employee Engagement: From a Big
Corporate Buzzword to Practical
Implementation
How we move people from Engaged to Married
Hessa Al Ghurair
Chief People Officer - Tanfeeth

2. 2
A little bit about me..
Joined
Mashreq as
Trainee
2002 2008 2011 - now
HRBP
Wholesale
& Retail
ENBD
Chief
People
Office
Tanfeeth

3. In 2011, I moved from Emirates NBD to become Chief People Officer of
Tanfeeth, a fast growing multi-function business services subsidiary
3
2,200 FTE
September
2014
20 FTE
May
2011
Move to
Tanfeeth HQ
December
2013

4. At Tanfeeth people are our core asset, so I knew I had to build a
strong HR foundation to support our business strategy and goals
4
Culture
Talent &
Development
Performance
& Rewards
Line HR
Support

5. One of the most important things for us is to manage engagement,
not just for fun’s sake but to drive business results
5
Actively
Engaged
Workforce
Increased
& Sustained
Performance
BUSINESS
IMPACT

6. Contrary to conventional engagement wisdom, we really only focus
on the extremes – since that’s where the impact will be
Disengaged Engaged
Actively
Engaged
Actively
Disengaged
6

7. Contrary to conventional engagement wisdom, we really only focus
on the extremes – since that’s where the impact will be
Disengaged Engaged
Actively
Engaged
Actively
Disengaged
Saboteurs Extra Milers
7
Divorced Married

8. We have a young, energetic and fun bunch of millenials working
for us so our engagement initiatives have to be aligned
8
2,200
employees
47
Nationalities
29
Average
age
90%
Frontline
staff

9. Annual
Survey
Annual
Tanfeeth
Day
Career
Paths &
Development
Like most of you here today, we have the basic strategic and
tactical engagement initiatives and frameworks in place
9

10. Annual
Survey
Annual
Tanfeeth
Day
Career
Paths &
Development
Like most of you here today, we have the basic strategic and
tactical engagement initiatives and frameworks in place
10
Continuous
Surveys &
Feedback
Weekly
Engagement
Calendar
Personalized
Development &
Growth Plans

11. 11
But let me tell you about some of the simple, practical things we
did, that really carried a tremendous impact on our floors
Umrah
Offer
Leadership
Breakfasts
Chief
Cooking
Officer Tanfeeth
Got
Talent
Tanfeeth
Got
Game
Make
A
Wish
Ice
Cream
Day

12. Some of our people had never been able to go on Umrah, so we
set up a fund to help them fulfill their pilgrimage
12
Annual
draw
15 people
In 2013
25 expected
in 2014

13. 13
0Leadership pulse breakfasts

14. 14
0Chief Cooking Officer

15. 15
TANFEETH GOT

16. 0Tanfeeth Got Game
16

17. 17
Make A Wish!

18. 18
0Ice cream day
Biggest
impact!

19. So what's the take home message?
19
19

20. So what's the take home message?
20
Everything is relative and contextual
There is no cookie cutter approach..
…but there is one guiding principle:
LISTEN TO YOUR WORKFORCE,
UNDERSTAND YOUR PEOPLE 20

21. And that’s how we’ve moved our people from Engaged….
Actively
Engaged
Workforce
Increased
& Sustained
Performance
BUSINESS
IMPACT
21

22. Married
And that’s how we’ve moved our people from Engaged….to Married
22
Employees
Tanfeeth

23. Married
And that’s how we’ve moved our people from Engaged….to Married
Actively
Engaged
Workforce
Increased
& Sustained
Performance
BUSINESS
IMPACT
23
Employees
Tanfeeth