Engaging Your Team by Jennifer Griffith
First Merchants Bank – A Conway Center Service Provider Member
Cold mornings like these remind me that we need to light our own fire before doing anything else. We all know someone that might prefer to hunker down and hibernate during these long winter months, but that’s not what engaged employees choose.
In a 2015 edition of BankNotes, I introduced our approach to thinking about employee engagement at First Merchants Bank. We survey our team on a regular basis to uncover the connection between job satisfaction and job contribution. We’re looking for the apex where personal and organizational interests align. Engagement is frequently described as creating more “great days at work,” and who doesn’t want that?
Since anyone can step up and light their fire each morning, we measure the engagement of the individuals, managers and executives. It’s everyone’s role to create an engaged work force. Each individual is accountable to communicate and deliver with great enthusiasm. Each manager is charged to connect strategy and engagement while coaching employees towards higher levels of performance. The executive suite establishes the right environment to fuel engagement and facilitate activities to promote engagement throughout the organization.
Across the globe there has been a huge growing swell of organizations benefiting from employee pulse surveys. Pulse surveys are typically shorter surveys delivered with higher frequency. They provide frequent and regular check-ins on the pulse of your team. Research has shown us time and time again that engaged employees increase productivity, make customers happier, lower the risk of turnover and bring the passion that spurs innovation. Companies such as Apple, Etsy, and Amazon are all using employee pulse surveys to measure engagement levels.
I encourage you to learn more and unlock the possibilities of what an engaged workforce can do together!
Jennifer Griffith is the Ohio Regional President of First Merchants Bank. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer by calling 614.583.2050 or by emailing her jgriffith@firstmerchants.com.