A1:

Engagement Brainstorming
You can use this simple activity as a great way to get your stakeholders to begin thinking
about what they understand by employee engagement:

 In a team meeting or at an engagement workshop, ask people to take one minute to

individually write down as many words as possible that come into their head when they
think about employee engagement.

 When the minute is up, ask everyone to circle the one word that resonates most with
them.

 Then ask each person to call out their word, and capture the various words on a flip
chart.

 Use these outputs to generate a discussion on what engagement means to people.

 Good questions to ask are what employee engagement is and what it isn’t. This
discussion could form the basis of a definition for your organisation

 What is immediately clear is that it means different things to different people and is very
personal.

(Carbonara, 2013)
A2:

The employee engagement health check

The following questions have been put together to stimulate your thoughts on employee
engagement within your organisation. This is a simple diagnostic to help you evaluate your
current employee engagement activity against each of the enablers: leadership; strategic
narrative; employee voice; integrity; and involvement. It is not science but hopefully it will
help you to think about where you currently focus your attention and identify and gaps to

inform your future plans.

Thanking about your own organisation, please review the following statements and score

them in the following ways:

Strongly disagree – 1; Disagree – 2; Agree – 3; Strongly agree – 4

1. Managers here really listen to you.

2. Manager knows me as a person

3. I feel supported by my manager

4. My manager makes sure I know what is going on within the company

5. Manager has a good relationship with our team

6. I understand the direction of the company

7. I know how my work contributes towards the company goals

8. I am inspired by our company vision

9. There is clear communication about where we are headed as a company

10. I believe in the direction of the company

11. It is easy to make my voice heard here

12. My thoughts and opinions are actively sought

13. We get feedback when asked for our opinions

14. There are lots of opportunities here to make my voice heard

15. My thoughts and opinions are valued

16. I trust manager here to do the right thing

17. Decisions are made in line with our values

18. I see behaviours in our management community that are in line with our values

19. Employees are trusted to do the right thing

20. I believe that managers and leaders will follow through on promises made

21. I have the opportunity to contribute towards projects or initiatives that impact me

22. Employee ideas are acted upon.

23. I am actively encouraged to get involved with different aspects of our business.

24. Employees are given credit for their ideas and involvement with the organisation.

25. I have an input, where relevant, into decisions affecting me within the organisation

Sum of Visible and empowering Leadership Score: Sum of no. 1 to no. 5

Sum of Strategic Narrative Score: Sum of no. 6 to no. 10.

Sum of Employee voice Score: Sum of no.11 to no. 15

Sum of Integrity Score: Sum of no. 16 to no. 20

Sum of Involvement: Sum of no.21 to no. 25

Definition:

1. Visible and empowering leadership that provides a strong strategic narrative about the
organisation – where it’s come from and where it’s going.

2. Engaging managers, who focus their people and give them scope, treat their people as
individuals and coach and stretch their people.
3. There is employee voice throughout the organisations, for reinforcing and challenging
views, between functions and externally; employees are seen as central to the solution.

4. There is organisational integrity: The values on the wall are reflected in day-to-day

bahaviours. There is no “say-do” gap.

5. Employee involvement, that is the extent to which employees are personally involved in
the success of the business, and the opportunities the organisation creates for employee
to get involved with their company.

(MacLeod and Clarke, 2009)

For each of the enablers add up your scores to understand those areas of high performance

and those areas which need focus to develop. You can add in further questions if required

and change questions to better suit your organisation. For each enabler, score as follows:

5 – 10 = Low score: area for immediate action

10 – 15 = average score: monitor progress

15 – 20 = High score: best practice area

A3 Exercise on level of Engagment

Am I Watching Someone Who Is Engaged

Watching an employee is one simple way to find out if he or she is engaged at work. Think
of a particular employee you have worked with for sometime who performs well. Next to the
11 items below, use the following scale to evaluate that employee.

Never – 1; Occasionally – 2; Often – 3; Consistently – 4

The employee I am thinking about is characterised by……………..

1. Saying yes to new challenges and opportunities _____

2. Taking time to learn new skills _____

3. Showing up for work physically, mentally, and emotionally _____

4. Giving a little extra whether helping a customer or a co-worker _____

5. Pushing hard in the face of obstacles _____

6. Coming in early or staying late _____

7. Volunteering for additional projects or assignments _____

8. Accomplishing more in their workweeks than average employees _____

9. Exhibiting a can-do attitude _____

10. Getting along with nearly everyone in the office _____

11. Representing both you and your company well _____

Total =====

Total the numbers.

If you come up with a total over 30, there is a good chance you are observing someone with
a high engagement level.
Am I Watching Someone Who Is Dis-engaged
Unfortunately, you might have employees who fit the descriptions below more closely. Think

of a particular employee you have worked with for some time, but this time think about one
who performs poorly. Next to the 11 items below, use the following scale to evaluate that
employee.

Never – 1; Occasionally – 2; Often – 3; Consistently – 4

The employee I am thinking about is characterised by……………..

1. Grumbling when asked to do something _____

2. Using outdated skills and methods _____

3. Going through the motions without showing passion _____

4. Doing just enough to get by at work _____

5. Quitting when reaching resistance _____

6. Punching the clock instead of staying until the task is complete _____

7. Avoiding responsibility and extra work when possible _____

8. Accomplishing less in their workweeks than your best employees _____

9. Resisting change with a won’t-do attitude _____

10. Fighting with co-workers and struggling to get along with others _____

11. Marring the reputation of your department or your company _____

Total =====

Total the numbers.

(Carbonara, 2013)
If you come up with a total over 30, there is a good chance you are observing someone with
a low engagement level.

Definition:

Engaged employees who are engaged give their best by demonstrating not only a zeal for
the work, but also a strong affinity for their company. Years’ ago, engaged employees may
have gone by names such as “high potentials” or “movers and shakers”. Whatever name
they go by, leaders know them by their can-do attitudes and their outstanding results

Not engaged employees periodically “check out” and seem to go through the motions at
work by punching the clock and collecting a paycheque. They can be described as those
who do what is expected of them – rarely more, sometimes less.

Actively disengaged employees actively hurt their companies. They often appear hostile

and they at miserable at work by undermining the efforts of their company, leaders, and co-
workers.