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How Engaged Employees “Buy In”

Written by Carol on September 11, 2009 – 5:52 pm -

As the first economic body blows struck, one of our clients – call him Joe (not his real name, of course) was fretting over how many employees he would have to lay off.

First, he briefed the managers, and then gathered everyone for a staff meeting. “You can see that business is down,” he began. “Let me tell you the full story.” And he did.

Then he said, “We have to bring costs down. If we lay off about 20 per cent of you, we should be able to survive until the market comes back. Layoffs have to happen in reverse seniority order. Does anybody have any other ideas?”

A voice from the crowd said, “I’ll cut my time back, if everyone else will.”

That started a whole new conversation. By the end of the meeting, no one was getting laid off; everyone would be working 80 per cent of their regular time, and they all understood that they would be taking home an equally lower amount of pay. Better than nothing, they said.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

This employee-generated solution came about because Joe had put a number of key elements in place long before the meeting.

Here’s what he did right:

• Joe told the truth.

To be able to “buy-in”, people need to hear the straight goods from the person who has the most credibility on the issue. In this case, that’s Joe. Joe has always been up-front with employees about the company’s performance. Employees know this, so they want to hear from him.

• Employees had a chance to speak up.

When we explain to people how and why we are making a decision, and give them a change to communicate with us about it, they generally can deal with it. What they really need to know is that the decision-making process is fair. Then, they need to know what’s expected of them.

• Joe accepted suggestions.

If you ask employees for feedback, be serious about using their suggestions. The simple fact of asking implies a commitment to act. If you cannot use certain suggestions, explain why not. Otherwise, don’t bother people in the first place. Consistency is more important than the superficial appearance of consultation.

The key to engagement is “buy in”,

Joe knew how to get it.

Do you?

Tags: employee buy in, employee development
Posted in Management | 1 Comment »