vector-thumb-up illustrationBelow is a curation of some interesting employee engagement articles, blog posts, books, etc. that I came across last week.

 

 

Website: Huffington Post
Article: Taking the Hate Out of Work
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-a-cusumano-phd/taking-the-hate-out-of-wo_b_5538864.html
Author: James A. Cusumano, Ph.D.

Comment: This article in a response to the New York Times op-ed, Why You Hate Work. Dr. Cusumano offers four core needs of employees: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical. He ends the article with a discussion about trust.

 

 

Website: Business Reporter (UK)
Article: Employee Engagement for a Brave New HR World
Link: http://business-reporter.co.uk/2014/07/employee-engagement-for-a-brave-new-hr-world/comment-page-1/
Author: Editor

Comment: Employee engagement isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach and it is worth the effort based on various studies cited. Barriers must be addressed, the right support must be given, and technology must be used if employee engagement efforts are to succeed.

 

 

Website: Recognize This! Blog
Article: What’s the Value of Measuring Employee Satisfaction?
Link: http://www.recognizethisblog.com/index.php/2014/07/measuring-employee-satisfaction/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+globoforce%2Frecognize-this+%28Recognize+This%21++With+Derek+Irvine%29
Author: Derek Irvine

Comment: The author discusses satisfaction versus engagement and cites The Conference Board’s annual survey. “The Board distinguishes its target by saying that satisfaction is focused instead on more measurable components such as pay and benefits and ‘does not explore the full range of emotional and behavioral ways employees interact with their workplaces.’” The remainder of the article provides a summary of The Board’s findings on the drivers of satisfaction.

 

 

Website: Contented Cows
Article: Three Things That Will Improve Employee Engagement
Link: http://contentedcows.com/2014/07/three-things-that-will-improve-employee-engagement/
Author: Bill Catlette

Comment: The author casts doubt on the reported level of disengagement curtly reported by Gallup and other organizations.  He says, “quite often the greatest source of disengagement stems from people and processes that keep us from doing our very best work.” He offers three things to address those situations. “1. Become More Intentional and Selective in Hiring.” “2. Get Serious About Learning and Development.” “3. Don’t Fool* With the Gravy” meaning don’t ignore what is known to work by listening to your employees before changes are implemented.

 

 

Website: Workplace Savings and Benefits (UK)
Article: Employers need to provide an emotional response to fully engage
Link: http://www.wsandb.co.uk/wsb/analysis/2353552/employers-need-to-provide-an-emotional-response-to-fully-engage
Author: Jonathan Stapleton

Comment: “Employee engagement is a hot topic. Jonathan Stapleton considers a new [Benefex] white paper about the way online benefits can help achieve this.” This white paper offers evidence that if “employers show that they care, that they are flexible and ultimately that they have gone the extra mile for employees, it is only natural that employees will do the same in return.”

 

 

Website: Business Reporter (UK)
Article: Rigging the game: Video games and employee engagement
Link: http://business-reporter.co.uk/2014/07/rigging-the-game-video-games-and-employee-engagement/
Author: Dave Baxter

Comment: Mr. Baxter discusses gamification in the workplace. He says that the next few years will be an experimental phase and encourages companies to use the time to learn what does and doesn’t work. Ultimately, this will help companies become more adept at engaging employees using gamification techniques.

 

 

Website: Harvard Business Review
Article: Tours of Duty: The New Employer-Employee Compact
Link: http://hbr.org/2013/06/tours-of-duty-the-new-employer-employee-compact
Authors: Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, and Chris Yeh

Comment: “The new compact acknowledges the probable impermanence of the relationship yet seeks to build trust and investment anyway. Instead of entering into strict bonds of loyalty, both sides seek the mutual benefits of alliance.” “We’ve found three simple, straightforward ways in which organizations have made the new compact tangible and workable. They are (1) hiring employees for defined “tours of duty,” (2) encouraging, even subsidizing, the building of employee networks outside the organization, and (3) creating active alumni networks that facilitate career-long relationships between employers and former employees.”

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on these selections? What articles, blog posts, books, etc. can you recommend to other “Agents”?  Let’s talk about them in the comments below!

 

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

Other recent Agent in Engagement articles by Gregory F Simpson:

 

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