Strategy execution best practices:

Whenever I’ve attempted to air anything that is a seemingly contrary point of view on employee engagement, I usually get shut out of the conversation almost instantaneously! How dare I even consider the possibility? How illiterate can I get?

But wait, I haven’t finished! While I do have serious doubts about the ability of all “happy” employees to reign in success, I have no doubt in my mind that all successes result from “engaged & happy” employees. And no, the difference is not merely in the semantics & it has nothing to do with the individual.

Unless “happy” employees are actually translating their “happiness” into performance, what economic sense does it make for organizations to invest in these practices? Although “engagement” multiplies the earnestness of an individual to contribute, are organizations really completing the loop and making the most of this solemnity?

Heard two interesting real life experiences;

• A multi national organization (services) with several thousand employees across the world, scored really (really) high on “employee happiness”. Most people there were “extremely happy” to work for the organization and attrition was low. However, the organization struggled with their CSAT rating for the services they offered.
• Imagine you land up in a very well known electronics retail outlet (a big chain in India) with only few other customers in the store already. The store is well staffed. Yet, even after going around the store for several tens of minutes, visibly perplexed to find something you want to buy, there’s no one who walks up to you to help.Finally you garner the attention of someone who then passionately “tells” you what you “should” buy & doesn’t really lend a ear to what you’re saying about why you want what you want.However, you do manage to convince them to sell you what you want, and finally even end up asking them about how their life in the store is. You manage to find this information from several others in the store as well, as well as in a few other outlets. You figure that most employees are quite happy with the perks and environment that the chain offers them and find it ‘exciting’ to work there! Where would that experience leave you?

Well, in both scenarios, the organizations did a phenomenal job in keeping their employees happy, but somehow “forgot” to complete the loop or tell them what’s expected from them. Perhaps the employees really did not know “how” they could make an impact on success, although I’m sure they were more than willing to do what’s necessary.