Successful organizations need to support people in order for them to be fully committed to help execute the organization's strategy. A healthy work environment is essential for an engaged workforce.
In my executive coaching and leadership consulting with companies and law firms and accountancy firms retaining talent is frequently a strategic imperative. Unfortunately, most of my client organizations need to do a better job of engaging their workforce. Company and firm leaders need to be more aware of why people stay and why they leave.
You may find the following questions a useful measure of how happy your people are at work.
Research by the Gallup Organization produced 12 questions which work to distinguish the strongest
departments of a company. This essential measuring stick provides the link
between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction and
the rate of turnover.
1. I know what is expected of me at
work.*
2. I have the materials and equipment I
need to do my work right.*
3. At work, I have the opportunity to
do what I do best every day.*
4. In the last seven days, I have
received recognition or praise for good work.
5. My supervisor or the person I report
to seems to care about me as a person.*
6. There is someone at work who
encourages my development.
7. In the last six months, someone at
work has talked with me about my progress.*
8. At work, my opinions seem to count.
9. The mission/purpose of my company
makes me feel my job is important.
10. My associates (fellow employees) are committed
to doing quality work.
11. I have a best friend at work.
12. The last year, I have had
opportunities at work to learn and grow.
These 12 questions are the simplest
and most accurate way to measure the strength of a workplace.
*Further analysis revealed that five of these questions are linked to retention: numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. When employees score high marks on these five questions; the company has a strong retention factor. As a manager, if you want to build high retention, then securing high marks to these five questions is a good place to start.
How engaged is your workforce?
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