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The Engagement Crisis

Four years after the worldwide financial crisis paralyzed our economy and ruined more than a few weekends for everyone, our economy is still caught in the ripple effect of all that bad debt exploding, but confidence is high. Or is it? The answer is no. We continue to see the fallout occur not just here in America with unemployment rates pushing double-digits nationwide, but also on a global scale with the crippling Euro Zone Crisis. The world is in debt with nary enough money to be found, and the powers-that-be are far too concerned with retaining and consolidating their power in preparation for what historians are already calling the next Gilded Age. Soon it will all come crashing down, the entirety of the world’s wealth will be liquidated, dogs and cats will live together, and rampant warfare will cause the human race to scorch the surface of the Earth, forcing all of us to move into underground caves for survival (and if you think that’s bad, don’t even get me started on the Mole People).

But what does this mean to the “Person on the Street,” the “Average Joe,” or the “Salt of the Earth,” namely, “Me?” Ostensibly, it means low engagement. Yes, the American Worker has not been this depressed since the last election. Employee engagement is at its lowest level since 2007. According to a recent Gallup poll, 73 percent of US workers consider themselves either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” in their work. Globally, job satisfaction rates have plummeted to the 40 percent range, signaling a prevailing indifferent attitude about the success or failure of respective employers (in a related study, employee engagement among the Mole People is at a healthy 99%, though experts warn that poll results may be skewed due to the totalitarian rule of Balrog the Mole Emperor). All in all, this is not a good portent for American businesses.

So what can be done to address this scourge of indifference? I don’t have the answers. I am a man of humble means. I only labor in the fields for my pittance, hanging on a thin hope for meager rations and a soft bed when the sun goes down. But a good idea would be to look at some of the best places to work, and take a cue. Besides, why solve a problem on your own when you can steal the ideas of those who are smarter than you?

Newburyport Bank was recently named the top small business to work for in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe. The keys to their success? They credit viewing each of their employees as a family member, paying 100% of health care premiums, and offering cash bonuses for personal milestones such as weddings and births.

There is also ARAG, a legal solutions firm out of Iowa which was recently voted the best place to work in insurance by Business Insurance Magazine. ARAG employees enjoy a generous benefits package similar to the other companies on this list, but key differentiators were their incentive, community outreach, wellness, and work-life balance programs. In fact, ARAG employees are so happy to be there, they report an astronomical 96% survey response rate.

And finally, in North Carolina there is Red Ventures, a technology company that gets consistently high marks from the Charlotte Business Journal’s annual list of best places to work. The litany of workplace amenities that Red Ventures employees enjoy will make you want to cry: a regulation basketball court and running track, a fully realized fitness center, subsidized meals at local gourmet eateries, and a comprehensive benefits package, to name a few.

If throwing amenities and benefits around like so much candy makes you a great place to work and engages your employees, all our low engagement worries are solved, and there’s no reason to invest in that bomb shelter you’ve had your eye on. However, the real driving factor lies beyond material rewards. The one thing these employers have in common is not a willingness to spend money, but a willingness to create a flexible working environment that respects work/life balance and encourages creative thinking through incentives and recognition. Newburyport Bank builds trust by inviting employees into their family and making gestures that reinforce that premise. ARAG offers some unique benefits while putting a strong focus on the employee’s happiness and well-being. Red Ventures has practically turned their workplace into a social club with all their creature comforts, promoting a free exchange of ideas. Each company engages the employee before they have a chance to disengage, and hopefully builds a true bond between them and the company in the process. Red Ventures CEO Ric Elias sums it up eloquently: “…we value flexibility over process, talent over tenure… employees can drive their own career path.” When an employee is empowered to take ownership of their work, it usually brings out the best in them.

For those of you wondering, the Mole People get no health benefits, incentives, or any type of employee recognition, but are sometimes allowed to take home leftover dirt at the end of the day.