Do the leadership skills and behaviors identified for improvement align with a
specific question in the engagement survey?
The leadership skills and behaviors identified for improvement are Working Conditions,
Job Satisfaction and Recognition and Praise and align with specific questions in the
engagement survey.
Working Conditions – Enable Others to Act
Two survey questions that mapped to working conditions are “I trust my supervisor” and
“My supervisor provides leadership in just and ethical ways”.
Rationale
Working conditions, leadership and operational, are important drivers of employee
engagement. Building and sustaining trust, ethical conduct, and clear communications is a
healthy prescription for retaining talent and strengthening engagement. This area of
concern is related to trust, ethics, lack of support from the direct supervisor, and lack of
support. The potential impact over time is low productivity and an environment that feels
exclusive versus inclusive. To counteract these issues, building a communication strategy
to communicate and promote the company mission, vision, and values statements would
strengthen the shortfall. Also, scheduling listening sessions and communications education
and training related to emotional intelligence and ethics are possible solutions to improve
working conditions. These actions will promote trust and enlighten leadership on valuable
ways to inspire employees.
Job Satisfaction – Inspire a Shared Vision
Two survey questions that mapped to job satisfaction are “I am very satisfied with my job”
and “My supervisor shows appreciation for the work that I do”.
Rationale
Job satisfaction related to underutilizing skills and abilities and not feeling appreciated
were the underlying concerns from the survey data. This area of concern directly ties to
poor retention and strained employee relations. Also, finding meaning in ones work and
life are integral to job satisfaction and may look different for everyone. To improve this
area, leadership training and focusing on fostering a collaborative team structure will be
key. Often, low job satisfaction can be linked to absenteeism and lower productivity.
These steps will elevate employee job satisfaction and be a catalyst for employee-
supervisor bonding and team synergy.
Recognition and Praise – Encourage the Heart
Two survey questions that mapped to recognition and praise are “My work gives me a
sense of personal accomplishment” and “Employees are recognized based on merit
(accomplishments, successes)”.
Rationale
Accomplishment and recognition/praise concerns were tied to lack of recognition based on
merit and feeling encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things.
Recognition and praise in the workplace are a building block to good morale and evident
in organizations with a strong culture. Having a formalized rewards and recognition
program would help improve this area. It isn’t always necessary to have a complex
program. Spot rewards, public kudos, and thanking employees in group meetings can have
great impact. A pulse-check survey to all employees would reveal how the greater group
would like to be recognized. This could be a great mode of gleaning ideas and establishing
buy-in that would in turn promote engagement company-wide.
How will improvement in the leadership skills and behaviors you have identified
positively impact the results in the next employee engagement survey?
Improvement in leadership skills and behaviors will most certainly impact the next
employee engagement survey results. Leadership will gain knowledge and training that
will allow them to be more impactful and effective leaders with a better emotional
intelligence skillset. Also, employees will feel heard and benefit from having leadership
that is in tune with the needs of employees which will improve working conditions, job
satisfaction, and recognition and praise company wide.
References
Posner, J.M.K.A.B. Z. (2021). Leadership Challenge, 6th Edition for
c Southern New Hampshire University. Wiley Global Education US.
