{"id":8053,"date":"2016-09-29T04:26:43","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T11:26:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corevalues.com\/?p=8053"},"modified":"2016-09-29T04:26:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-29T11:26:43","slug":"improve-happiness-to-improve-engagement-in-government-agencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/corevalues.com\/dev\/2016\/09\/29\/improve-happiness-to-improve-engagement-in-government-agencies\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve Happiness to Improve Engagement In Government Agencies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"rp_dreamstime_4180734-200x300.jpg\"<\/a><\/strong>E<\/span>mployee engagement is important for U.S. government agency performance.\u00a0 According to new research, engagement appears even more important for local and state government as disengaged employees reportedly cost the U.S. up to $100 billion annually. According to Gallup\u2019s research findings reported in the article, Unhappy State, Local Government Workers Cost U.S. Billions<\/em>, 71 percent of state and local government workers are disengaged. With these workers contributing 11 percent to the U.S. GDP, that\u2019s a major loss to the U.S. economy and to the efficiency of your tax dollars. \u00a0It appears that improving happiness to increase engagement is an important initiative, when leaders have access to<\/span> well-vetted resources<\/a><\/u><\/span> that pin point core behavior that is strangling government work group productivity and happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although engagement levels vary by state, some leaders are excelling. For example, in some pockets in Mississippi, engaged employees outnumber disengaged employees by almost 3-to-1. Other states don\u2019t fare as well with their workforce comprised by one disengaged employee for every engaged employee. If your response is \u201cSo what?\u201d, do think again.\u00a0 Disengaged employees will eventually pull down the performance of engaged employees so this is a cancerous team issue worth curing. More and more evidence points to the fact that when you improve happiness in an agency, you also increase engagement when both the work environment and good leadership skills are addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to avoid trying to hit the engagement target blindfolded <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

At TIGERS Success Series, our vetting process included independent evaluation by both business and government agencies. We learned that engagement is an obscure target. True engagement is a byproduct of an employee\u2019s intrinsic motivation that becomes frustrated by leadership and work environment problems. We also learned that when the work environment resonates with behaviors that support trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk resolution and success in the workplace, employees are happier, which leads to improved engagement and productivity. When the work environment is measurably missing one of these six principles, there are predictable outcomes \u2013 like disengagement.\u00a0 So instead of trying to hit a target blindfolded, the number one thing you can do to assess why disengagement is an issue in your work group or agency is to measure the quality of these six principles in your workforce behavior. \u00a0If trust is low<\/a>, for example, there are steps you can take and training to deploy that measurably improves the work culture in ways where it is easy to identify your return on investment (ROI).<\/span><\/p>\n

With the staggering dollar amount that disengaged public workers cost the U.S. economy, it\u2019s imperative that national, state and local government Directors build their leadership skills and implement team building practices that improve employee happiness and engagement. \u00a0In addition to vetted diagnostic, there are four additional ways to favorably impact engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

4 practices to recover employee happiness and engagement <\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Explain their role. <\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Many employees become disengaged with their work when they don\u2019t feel that their work is valued, appreciated or essential. In reality, every employee\u2019s role is (or should be) essential for the agency\u2019s success, or those positions wouldn\u2019t exist. In a financially balanced and efficient workplace, every role serves an important purpose and is directly tied to budget line items.<\/span><\/p>\n

To improve engagement levels, leaders must explain why the employee\u2019s role matters when they bring new employees on board. \u00a0Then excellent performance must be recognized. Once an employee has a clear understanding of how their performance matters to the agency, it is possible to feel more connected to their work, \u00a0which improves engagement when trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success\u00a0 are readily experienced and seen in agency behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create an inviting workplace<\/em>.<\/strong><\/h5>\n

One area of influence that agency leaders have because of their leadership position is the work environment they build. An inviting work environment plays a substantial role in the happiness of employees. As a Director, it\u2019s your job to cultivate a trustworthy, cooperative, genuine, empathetic, risk resolving and successful work environment. When employees feel welcomed and at ease at work, they measurably perform better, improve productivity and increase their own job satisfaction. Employee<\/span> behavior norms \u00a0building activities<\/span>, give employees the opportunity to build better co-worker relationships, focus on behaviors that measurably improve happier work interactions and support improved communication and cooperation. When employees experience improved \u00a0connections and relationships with one another, work efforts and roles become more positive. \u00a0The behavior of toxic employees also becomes more noticeable as they continue to stir the disengagement pot and violate the group norms of behavior that employees have identified.\u00a0 The bottom line is that toxic employees wreak havoc on a workplace and likely need to be removed if coaching does not change their behaviors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a culture of recognition and gratitude. <\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

People who are recognized for the work they do and who possess attitudes of gratitude and appreciation are happier and more satisfied in the workplace and with their life. While it\u2019s great to have goals and strive for more, delaying recognition antagonizes engagement and success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Success is much more than achieving goals. It also comes with a felt sense of personal satisfaction that fades over time when left unrecognized. To promote happiness in your workplace, celebrate success and recognize people privately for exceptional achievements. Then recognize the department as a whole for the cooperation employees contributed to satisfy goals that met or exceeded expectations and deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let go of perfection. <\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Achieving perfection is not possible, and the sooner agency leaders realize this, the happier everyone will be.\u00a0 Expecting perfection leads to micro management, which has a direct correlation to disengagement.\u00a0 As a leader, it\u2019s important to have standards and to encourage your employees to meet or exceed those standards. \u00a0Expect excellence, not perfection and use mistakes as learning opportunities to build greater success one step at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bottom line is that disengaged employees cost the U.S. economy billions annually. Seventy-one percent of state and local government employees are currently disengaged, which can cost up to $100 billion annually in lost productivity. \u00a0With vetted workforce behavior assessment and subsequent strategic team behavior norm identification activities, engagement can be measurably improved.\u00a0 You will immediately notice how easy it is to identify behavior norms by how employees treat one another and their service constituents. \u00a0Some addit<\/a>ional practices include: explaining each employee\u2019s role on an individual basis so they understand how their role makes a difference; creating an inviting workplace that welcomes and values all of its employees; creating a culture of recognition and gratitude where leaders and employees recognize the great things they\u2019ve achieved; and letting go of the idea of perfection and replacing it with the expectation of excellence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some additional resources to broaden this conversation:<\/span><\/p>\n