As we’ve touched upon in our past blog entries, connectivity and ownership are vital to the concept of Safegagement™. Not only should their presence resonate within every position, department and office setting, but connectivity and ownership also serves as our fifth and final component of Safegagement. Possibly the most important we will discuss, these two elements have the power to truly ignite individuals and unlock their potential.
As stated in a recent article on Forbes.com, “If your company’s employees don’t have a sense of ownership and engagement, all the other steps won’t make much difference. By the same token, if you can increase the average level of engagement in your organization, you will likely see the productivity of your entire workforce increase.”
The Last Safegagement™ component Connectivity & Ownership
When it comes down to it, annual performance reviews are simply not enough to create and instill lasting change. Imagine you are a chef at a local restauarant and cook dinner on a nightly basis, however, you only receive customer feedback once a year. You’ll have missed a countless number of opportunities to correct any issues and improve the quality of your dishes.
As the Harvard Business Review said, “The responsibility is [the employee’s], and it starts with developing a belief or habit of mind that you, as an individual, are accountable for the quality and timeliness of an outcome, even when you’re working with others.” To sum it up, an employee can’t improve their actions, if they are unaware their actions are in need of improvement. This will also lead to a decreased level of effort, because without confirmation, they will begin to lack a belief in what they are doing.
Connect Employees to the Bigger Picture
Of course, such situations never have to occur in the first place. Active listening, weekly meetings, public displays of appreciation—these are all excellent ways to connect with your workforce and combat performance-based gray areas. Not all efforts have to be vocal either. Allow employees to take ownership of their positions; seek out their advice on matters that affect them; openly express your gratitude for their hard work; and reward them in a manner that matters.
“A highly participative workplace yields better buy-in for decisions as people more fully support ideas they help create.” In other words, people should feel rewarded for the work they do and understand that they play an important role in the overall success of the organization. This is one of the many reasons Safegagement™ is such a powerful concept.
When the five components are implemented, they act to build noticeable change within any organization—regardless of the industry in question. Safegagement™ isn’t a concept built on a whim -- its development is the direct result of decades of experience and expertise. That’s why we truly believe that by coupling safety standards with active engagement, any organization can build an environment conducive of positive, long-term change with an end goal of building a team that works with you, not for you.
Appreciate and Recognize Genuinely
In the end, it all comes down to humanity. Individuals should not feel as if they are expendable cogs in the wheel. They should know and understand their value and be recognized for when they go above and beyond the call of duty. This will only lead to more positive feelings about the organization and, in turn, more positive feelings about their own accomplishments. These emotions can ultimately pave the way for increased productivity, profits and best of all -- a safer working environment.
We truly hope these blogs have highlighted the potential of Safegagement™, as it relates to your company’s environment, progress and potential. If you’ve missed any of our previous entries in the series, be sure to check out our posts on Leading Indicators, Comprehensive Training, Positive Reinforcement or Parallel Engagement.
C.A. Short Company partners with companies to manage, drive and facilitate increased employee engagement to increase financial performance, productivity, quality, and core performance outcomes. Our process and research-based platform enables executives and managers to engage their teams to increase the bottom line, motivate staff, and incentivize positive behavior. To Request a Complimentary Consultation, click here.