How to work effectively with employee representatives to increase engagement

What representatives say they support with…

What I most often hear from representatives is that they are supporting with communication across the organisation, flagging issues and problems, speaking up for colleagues who either aren’t comfortable speaking up or don’t have the means to do that, challenging the organisation where challenge is needed or important, being the focal point during formal consultation, supporting colleagues in formal meetings (grievance, disciplinary etc) and working with their organisation when HR policies are being developed/redrafted.

They often view it as a transactional and reactive role.

Many forums focus on preventing dissatisfaction

If I asked you, what would you say are some of the most common issues or topics that representatives tell me are on repeat on their agenda?

1. Parking or travel.
2. Food and/or drink in some form (“the sandwiches are rank”, was a comment I heard recently).
3. Toilet or changing facilities.

I recognise that it’s important to address issues that employees are concerned about, but it’s dangerous if these are the kind of things a representative forum becomes known for.

Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory of Motivation provides a useful framework for understanding this. The theory suggests that different factors influence how people feel about work in different ways. Some factors help prevent dissatisfaction when they are managed well, while others actively contribute to engagement and productivity. Herzberg referred to these as Hygiene Factors and Motivators.

Toilet paper, parking, food etc are all hygiene factors, so essentially most forums/committees are about preventing dissatisfaction rather than driving engagement and productivity. 

Might your representative group relate to this?

Representatives often view themselves at the start of my training as a body that is simply responsive to what is asked of them by the organisation, they respond to what is put on the agenda, they support when asked, they share gripes and grievances from their colleagues, and they communicate across their teams when given information by the organisation to communicate. Very much a top-down approach, however, the training I deliver encourages them to take much more of a partnership approach, where that is possible, and to view themselves as a team of professional representatives with a clear purpose and plan of action, so that each year they can see what they have achieved and share that with their colleagues.

Without a clear purpose and plan, they will struggle to understand the key role they can play in ensuring staff feel engaged at work.

What employee representatives can do to increase engagement

If they can come together to form a professional team of representatives with both purpose and plan, then this is what I might share with them, to help them understand the part they can play in the employee engagement jigsaw:

• What employee engagement is – what shapes/creates it, what detracts from it, and why it’s important and relevant.
• What the current organisational strategy is around engagement, what the drivers of that are and where the forum/committee fits into that strategy (don’t assume they just ‘get it’).
• What is within their sphere of influence and/or control in relation to employee engagement, and equally, what is not within their sphere of influence/control
• What actions they might take to bring value to both colleagues and the organisation in respect of employee engagement (here I would encourage some ‘root cause’ thinking in contrast to the very reactive thinking I typically see).
• How to balance their plan to ensure there is a good mix of both the day-to-day issues and the larger or more complex engagement issues.

No more dabbling, this is serious….

For too many years, representation in many UK organisations has been half-hearted, with both the organisation and the representatives unable or unclear on how to step up to the next level. From my perspective, this has resulted in frustration and missed opportunities all around. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

With some discussion, training, repositioning and planning, you can create a group of representatives who start to see themselves as professionals, who have clarity around their role, and who understand the part they can play in driving engagement across the organisation.

Questions, thoughts, opinions? Let us know if the comments below… or if you’d like to speak to me directly, send me a message.