L'employee engagement is a very fashionable concept. But when a company is in crisis, it is often put aside. This is because other economic concerns are seen as more 'concrete'. In other words, in times of difficulty, the focus is on the customer rather than internally. However, it is precisely in a crisis situation that thecommitment of employees must be given its full meaning. Because when things go wrong, the company needs all its forces to support it. So what advice can we give to managers who are tempted to turn their backs on employees when the company needs them most?

Inconsistency between words and deeds

An article on the HRD website questions how managers view employee engagement. It reminds us that this commitment is, in principle, considered a priority. A Deloitte survey reports, among other things, that 85% of company managers consider employee engagement to be a strategic priority.

However, the article also highlights a contradiction between this judgement and the reality. Indeed, it draws on the testimony of Jessica Gopalan, Regional Marketing Manager at Dale Carnegie in Australia: "Our research shows that only 31% of both employees and managers feel that their company really does make engagement a priority. »

An incomprehensible figure, especially when you consider that employee commitment has a direct impact on a company's competitiveness. It reduces turnover and absenteeism, andboosts productivity and profitability.

So where do you start to develop employee engagement?

In the HRD article, Jessica Gopalan reminds us that engagement starts with a relationship of trust between leaders and employees. She also points out that while building and maintaining this relationship is essential, it takes time. Time to integrate teams into the corporate culture, to train them, to provide them with the right skills, to motivate them, to communicate the benefits of engagement. But it also takes time to set an example: because leaders must be the first to show their commitment. It also requires money: to equip and train employees, but also, for example, to hire dedicated resources to maintain engagement. Dale Carnegie's research shows that engagement levels will rise when leaders treat engagement like any other critical issue, and when they give managers the training they need to engage their teams.

Managers play a key role! Indeed, leaders will not succeed in building the relationship of trust mentioned above without the help of the relay points constituted by managers. If they themselves are committed and trained to engage their teams, a global commitment will be easier to put in place. In addition, managers will benefit immensely personally from engaging their teams. Explaining this benefit to them is where it all starts.

Let's end this article with a quote from Jessica Gopalan:

"Letting managers prioritise commitment requires courage. Because saying 'yes' to commitment also means saying 'no' to other priorities. »

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