Creating more engagement in your organisation is not that complicated at all. We often make it complicated ourselves, so that energy, flow, creativity and engagement drain away. And that while more engagement delivers a great deal. So it is worth trying out these tips from Bas van der Veldt. Van der Veldt started as a product manager at AFAS Software at the age of nineteen and has been CEO since 2008. De Ondernemer
1. Employees first, then customers
In many organisations, customers come first. At AFAS, employees come first. The idea: put a lot of love into your employees, and they will pass it on to your customers. Employees feel that and give a lot back. Van der Veldt tells the story of Koen. When Koen had been with the company for ten years, he sent Van der Veldt a bunch of flowers with the message: 'Today I have been your enthusiastic employee for ten years. Congratulations on having me. Koen.' And Koen gave everyone a small present that day. The more love, attention and appreciation, the more business follows you, says Van der Veldt. Research confirms the power of appreciation: according to Gallup, employees who feel sufficiently recognised for their work are four times as likely to be engaged. Gallup
At AFAS, applicants audition. That's because they are not looking for people who want to work at 'a' software company, but for people who want to work at AFAS.
2. Give trust
AFAS doesn't like petty rules. Employees get to decide a lot for themselves. In many organisations there are so many rules and procedures that people don't get round to the things that really matter. Rules lead to more rules, and the only way to break that cycle is to stop making rules. That is hard and requires a lot of trust, but it delivers a lot. It is no coincidence that, according to self-determination theory, autonomy is one of the three basic psychological needs of every human being. Self-Determination Theory
To encourage that trust, new employees at AFAS receive a card with so-called Monkey Milestones: actions they must have done once in their first year. One of them is: 'I contradicted the management and I'm still employed.' That fits nicely with what Google discovered in Project Aristotle: in the best teams, people feel safe to ask a question, admit a mistake or put forward a new idea. Google re:Work
3. Set a good example
Throwing a themed party? Then as CEO you dress up too. What you often see is the management saying: the theme is for the employees, we will wear suits. But culture is carried and passed on from the top, and being approachable is important. According to Van der Veldt, many CEOs are tourists in their own company. They have long since lost any idea of what it is like to be a customer or employee, have their own parking space and take their own lift to the executive floor. It is management's job to set a good example.
4. Policy is idiotic
Keep thinking carefully about policy and the rules you introduce. A rule that seems logical on paper can seriously irritate customers and employees in practice. And in times of social media, such an incident is public within a few hours. Ask yourself for every rule: does this really help our customers and employees, or are we just making things easy for ourselves?
5. Use IT smartly
We live in a time when a great deal of work can be automated, so that the fun work remains. There is a lot to gain, but a lot still goes wrong too. Take a critical look at your own organisation: which time-consuming chores can be automated, so that more time is left for enjoyable work and development?
6. Do good
As an organisation, contribute to a good cause. You donate to get a good feeling from it. That is different from sponsorship, because sponsorship aims to benefit yourself. There is nothing wrong with that, but don't mix the two up. Contributing to a good cause is also a signal to your employees. They are happy that the organisation they contribute to gives something back. What share of your revenue goes to a good cause?
7. Input is output
When you put energy into something, something happens with that energy. The more you put in, the more you get back. That applies to your employees, your customers, your relationships: to everything and everyone around you. Know that, and never forget it.
Bonus tip: make sure the coffee is good!
You can tell how an organisation works by its coffee. How are you offered coffee as a visitor? That says a lot, and tells you how highly the customer experience is valued.
Also read Bas van der Veldt: engaged ambassador and how do you motivate your employees? 5 useful tips.
