| | FEBRUARY - 2023MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionThe last few years have seen several disruptions in the employment market: remote/hybrid work, "quiet quitting," people simply leaving the workforce for a variety of reasons, and increased wages. With turnover on the rise and seemingly fewer qualified candidates available for the open positions posted, there is a broader focus on retaining employees through engagement. The million-dollar question is, "How do you engage employees?"When I speak to leaders in my organization and others with which we have close ties, I receive many suggestions for how we should engage employees. These range from ping pong tables and dart boards in the break room to free drinks, cereal, snacks, and even beer and wine for weekly happy hours. We've implemented employee-of-the-month programs and message board recognition tools. Do these provide opportunities for fun and team building? Sure they do, but in the long run, they do not substantially improve employee engagement.Engaged employees are missionaries for the vision and values of the organization. They are deeply connected to their work, teammates, and leader. They consciously and purposefully deliver high-quality work. They also stay with an organization for much longer, even in tough times. When I review exit survey data and comments from recently departed employees, not a single one comments on the free stuff or games to play in the office (or lack thereof) for as fun as they may be; they are ultimately just gimmicks. Free beer and ping pong will never build the deep connections that make for an engaged employee.In reality, the direct manager or leader of the employee will create this connection. Much to our EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IT'S NOT ABOUT PING PONG AND FREE CEREALBy David Hawthorne, Chief People Officer, Pacific BellsDavid Hawthorne
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