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5 questions that HR can ask to engage staff to do their best work

Published: Nov 09, 2016
5 questions that HR can ask to engage staff to do their best work

An unengaged staff body drags the entire company down, from the cleaner to the CEO.

And it’s up to HR to stop this, remedying the unengaged feelings that may be simmering below the company’s surface. The annual engagement survey is no longer enough.

Ashish Gambhir, President of employee engagement software company MomentSnap, speaking to Forbes, cited a recent survey by Harvard Business Review which highlighted the value of a transparent working environment, and its effects on engagement. Senior leaders who placed emphasis on having a working environment that is near-translucent saw over 70% of the workforce engaged.

“The best employees consider themselves, to some extent, as stakeholders in their company,” he told Forbes.

“The brand is a part of their identity, and vice versa — as an employee, they both represent the business and are defined by their role in it. This sentiment becomes difficult to harness when employees feel in the dark about the details that matter.”

He went on to share the five questions that can engage workers to deliver their best work with Forbes.

Gambhir’s five questions that will engage employees to do their best work can be seen on the next page...

1. “How accessible is the information you need to do your job?”

2. “When was the last time you felt valued by the company?”

Gambhir says: “Being valued is more than receiving a paycheck and benefits. When employees excel at their jobs, they expect to be recognised — not necessarily with a bonus or stock options, but with words.”

3. “When was the last time you felt proud about your work?”

4. “How would you rate your performance in comparison to your peers?”

5. “When was the last time you felt frustrated about your job?”

Conclusion

HR has the responsibility to transmit company values and to put in place initiative useful to sustain the engagement. But the final responsibility over employees' engagement is in the hand of the direct manager. HR must coach the managers in order to enable them to engage their staff. What questions do you ask workers to engage them to do their best work?