Beyond engagement: alignment is the secret to a thriving workforce

Lately, everyone has been talking about employee wellbeing and engagement. Of course, all of this really is an important factor in companies' sustainable success. But beyond engagement, alignment is also crucial. The old notion that employees are merely "cogs in the machine" no longer holds true. Today the goal is to take employees' skills, strengths and motivation into account as well, and to align all of this with the company's strategic objectives. This is capable of boosting productivity exponentially and even strengthens employee engagement. After all, it is increasingly important to employees that they see meaning in their work, that they see how their work supports the achievement and fulfilment of their own goals. That is why they are also happier to stay somewhere where corporate and individual goals can be aligned.

The limits of engagement

1. Emotions and psyche

Engagement is essentially an emotional and psychological investment on the part of the employee, one they are willing to dedicate to their work and to the company. This can vary from person to person, taking into account previous workplace experiences, the work environment, but also personal life circumstances. In fact, this emotional and psychological investment can also change periodically for a given employee. Think here of personal-life events such as a divorce/break-up or long-standing health problems. These all temporarily affect the employee's emotional and psychological state, and can thus also have a negative impact on engagement. What is more, in such cases the company's attempts to boost employee engagement, such as team building, development sessions, get-togethers, cake-and-fruit days, and so on, do not work either.

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2. It does not work for everyone

Activities aimed at boosting employee engagement do not necessarily live up to the hopes placed in them. The reason is that engagement is unpredictable and hard to understand. What can be motivating for one employee may trigger exactly the opposite in another. For example, the monthly company get-togethers can be a real treat for an extroverted employee, who enjoys eating, drinking and chatting with colleagues. For an introverted employee, however, this can be sheer torture, something they are obliged to attend, because otherwise they might be left out of the flow of information.

It is a bit like when Rachel (from Friends) starts going out for cigarette breaks because her boss and another colleague were discussing the important topics and making decisions out there, which Rachel was only informed about afterwards.

3. It does not guarantee that goals are met

Engagement on its own does not guarantee that corporate strategic goals will be achieved. The fact that employees enjoy what they do, or that they like being at the employer, does not yet mean that they understand the company's strategy or that they can identify with the organisation's goals. Engagement only matters if workforce alignment is present in the company and everyone is moving in the same direction. If everyone is aware of what the corporate and individual goals are, and we can align them with one another in order to increase productivity and success.

This is what alignment means

Alignment means that both parties know each other's goals and expectations. That is, the employee is aware of what the employer expects of them and what goals they need to achieve together, but the employer also knows exactly what individual goals and expectations the employee has, and must play a role in ensuring these are met if they want to retain the employee in the long term.

Of course, it is not enough merely to know the goals and expectations; you also have to act so that they are fulfilled. Alignment is therefore essentially based on a mutual agreement in which both parties are responsible for performing in line with the other's expectations.

Alignment is the foundation of the working relationship

Without alignment there is no engagement either. It is precisely what serves as the foundation of the working relationship, providing clarity and stability. If both the employer and the employees agree on what the goals to be achieved and the fundamental needs are for each party, then several problems can be avoided and the working relationship becomes more harmonious too.

The benefits of alignment

1. It ensures that both parties are aware of each other's expectations and goals. This allows both the employer and the employee to know exactly what they need to do in the relationship.
2. It helps employees feel good at their workplace, because they understand their role in the corporate strategy and know what to expect.
3. It sets concrete goals for the company, which improves both the employees' experience and their results.
4. It is easier to build engagement when alignment is strong. If expectations can be matched to one another, employees are more likely to be engaged.

This is how alignment can be built

Aligning employees' strengths, needs and goals with the company's strategic objectives lifts the entire working relationship to new heights, and a well-functioning symbiosis develops between employer and employee. This also strengthens employee engagement, but it contributes to increasing productivity as well. But what should you keep in mind when building alignment?

1. Tailored roles

The first step in fostering alignment is to design roles that fit the strengths of employees and teams. When employees can use their natural abilities while carrying out their everyday tasks, it makes their work more enjoyable and they can more easily stand out from their peers. For example, if among the colleagues working in retail there is someone who prefers working with numbers rather than with customers, then it is worth entrusting them with stock control and placing a colleague near the customers who enjoys chatting with people. Putting the right people in the right roles not only makes work more efficient and increases productivity, but also creates a strong foundation for engagement.

2. Clear goals and vision

It is important for employees to be aware of the organisation's mission and goals, so that they can see how their own efforts fit into the bigger picture. - CHEQ can help with this too, as an internal communication tool that every member of the company can use regardless of their level of digital skills, their position, or whether or not they have a company email address. - When they connect their tasks to the strategy, it gives them a sense of purpose and their everyday activities take on meaning. And if a vision, or a career plan, is also added to this that fits the employee's own ideas, then it acts as an extra source of motivation.

Example: 

We are not robots, and regardless of our job we all like to do work whose meaning and importance we can see. The employee working in a car factory also likes to know that their work is important. Lives may even depend on whether or not they fitted the parts together properly. That is precisely why they work with care and take pride in their work.

3. Continuous development

In order to make broader use of employees' strengths, it is worth providing continuous training and development opportunities. This not only refines existing skills and keeps them up to date, but also supports the discovery of new areas aligned with the employee's strengths, thereby enriching their contribution to achieving strategic goals and raising their level of engagement.
Here I would note that CHEQ was specifically designed to support the continuous training of employees.

4. Providing autonomy

If employees are given the opportunity to make decisions independently, in line with their own strengths and remit, in order to carry out their tasks, then this fosters a sense of ownership. If employees feel valued and experience that they are regarded as experts in their field of work, and are therefore trusted to make decisions, then engagement naturally grows stronger as well. Let's face it, nobody likes having every little step "micromanaged" and their expertise questioned. After all, if the employer does not trust the employee's abilities, then why did they hire them? Micromanagement is soul-destroying and leads to attrition.

5. The importance of recognition

Recognising and celebrating employees' achievements and performance, and highlighting how these align with the organisation's goals, reinforces the feeling that their work matters and that they play an important role in the life of the company, no matter how seemingly insignificant the position they work in. Recognition is a powerful tool that provides intrinsic motivation and reinforces alignment. A simple and sincere "thank you" and "good job" can be effective over the long term too.

Tip:

If you are already a CHEQ user, send out messages each month in which you highlight the best employees who performed outstandingly that month. You can do this at company-wide level, but if the middle and/or team leaders also have admin access, then they too can personally send such recognition messages to the members of the group(s) they manage.

The ripple effect: the positive impact of alignment

When strengths and purpose are aligned with strategic success, the organisation experiences the ripple effect of heightened engagement. Productivity rises, creative and innovative ideas multiply, employees become more flexible, turnover falls, and a much more pleasant work environment and culture develops at the company. That is precisely why it can be said that alignment is the secret of thriving companies and workforces. 

If you would like to find out more about how you can achieve the alignment of your workforce and corporate strategy through the CHEQ internal communication tool, then request a free demo!