3 min read

Employee Engagement: a Clean Case Study

When we were brought in to facilitate a discussion on Employee Engagement, we started off by finding out what Engagement meant to our participants. There seemed to be quite a lot of directional movement in the answers - knowing more from top to bottom, as good internally as we are with external engagement, where people feel listened to and valued, and so then their ideas help grow the business.

We'd assumed that, as the topic had brought together a number of people from diverse backgrounds, it maybe wasn't that easy to achieve, and our participants were looking for tips and strategies. And indeed, there was the impression of it being hard work, of having to force it, feeling straightjacketed even. Newer, younger staff responded to breakfast meetings, or nights out and games like Spin the Wheel. But that involved a lot of work and initiatives often petered out after an initial flurry of involvement.

Participants realised that it worked best when it was more fluid, more experimental and curious, where leaders were willing to try new ideas, and let them go. Where staff felt trusted and heard, and where there was a more relaxed and reciprocal atmosphere.

Some tangible solutions were to invest in creating a more solid onboarding pack and be clear about the language we use to communicate our messages, and the messages we want to communicate! Where teams felt empowered to take the time to stop and reflect - which would require visible encouragement and support from above.

At the end of our 90-minute workshop, we asked our participants what difference it had made. " I feel invigorated!" exclaimed one. "It makes such a difference knowing that others are also struggling — and I feel more confident to have a go at different ideas and let them go if they don't work". Two leaders offered to share their company onboarding packs with a third. And from the smiles and chatter as participants said goodbye, we felt reassured it had been an Engaging kind of workshop.

We Are Clean facilitate difficult discussions within teams. If you would like to learn more about how we can help your team and organisation find new and better ways of working, book a discovery call.