A Key to Employee Engagement - The Employer Alliance

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KPMG staff participate actively in corporate sports events such as the CPA Games, JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge and Standard Chartered Marathon. Employee Profi le Drives Work-Life Programs - KPMG KPMG off ers professional services in audit, tax, fi nancial and risk advisory services with offi ces in 145 countries. The local offi ce, which employs around 2,000 staff , won the Work-Life Achiever Award 2008. “We measure employee engagement through our Global People Survey held once every two years, and are happy to share that our employee engagement scores have shown steady improvement over the years,” said Mr Philip Lee, Head of People, Performance and Culture at KPMG in Singapore. The management invests attention and resources into this aspect of running the fi rm because it holds the fi rm opinion that engaged employees are more likely to understand the fi rm’s strategic priorities, and be inspired to have a sense of belonging in the KPMG culture. In order to select eff ective engagement programs, KPMG believes it fi rst has to understand its staff . Consequently, it has conducted demographic profi ling and confi rmed that it has a predominantly young and upwardly mobile workforce which includes young parents, many of them young mothers. Feedback from the staff is regularly sought using survey instruments and meetings. KPMG staff gather for some teambuilding fun. The leaders actively engage staff through their unique Work-Life policy called People Management Leaders (PML) which focuses on the welfare of KPMG people. For example, its Recreation Club promotes active lifestyles with social and celebratory activities. Highly subsidized sporting activities include yoga, golf, wakeboarding and tennis. A “Respect for Leave” campaign instills in KPMG employees the understanding to value and utilize their leave. The fi rm even has a Mums@Work program, which conducts health checks, stress management programs and parenting talks for young mothers. KPMG also provides an outlet for staff who desire to contribute to the community by encouraging volunteerism. Results from its PML policy showed better leave utilization, lower levels of sickness and absenteeism, and better overall employee engagement scores. “Our focus on eff ective Work-Life programs is a critical success factor in business,” said Mr Danny Teoh, Managing Partner of KPMG in Singapore, “because it translates to higher staff retention, lower costs associated with replacement, staff continuity, long term relationships with our clients, and last but not least, it inspires a happier, healthier and more engaged workforce.” The economic downturn has not discouraged the fi rm from its commitment to Work-Life. In fact, KPMG is continually implementing new programs. Just recently, the fi rm launched ‘Give Time’ to recognize and support volunteering employees; up to 40 working hours are awarded to these employees to spend time on approved community work. “It is important that we continuously send a message to our people that they remain our most valued asset and that we must continue to invest in their welfare and development,” Mr Lee explained his company’s approach to Work-Life. KPMG Sports and Family Day 2008 BEST PRACTICE COMPANIES BEST PRACTICE COMPANIES 12 13
In Conversation with Work-Life Expert Interview with Amy Richman, senior consultant at WFD Consulting Inc. Amy Richman is a senior consultant at WFD Consulting Inc. She can be reached at amy.richman@wfd.com Upbeat: What is the defi nition of employee engagement? AR: Employee commitment, or engagement, as it is more recently called, is not just about having enthusiastic, happy workers. Rather, it refers to a well-defi ned, research-based cluster of employee attitudes and behaviors that can be measured and has been shown to make a diff erence to business results. Moreover, engagement is something that organizations either foster or undermine. It is more infl uenced by management practices and features of the work environment than by employee demographics or personality. So if a company is not intentionally building engagement, chances are it is minimizing it – or even crushing it. Upbeat: How has the economic downturn affected employee engagement in the workplace? AR: All indications are that employee engagement has dropped while employee stress and dissatisfaction have increased. Layoff s and fear of additional job actions have created heavier workloads, tremendous uncertainty and tension in the workplace. Few families are untouched by hardships caused by the current economic climate in some way. This work-to-family and familyto-work spillover threatens productivity, eff ectiveness, health and well-being in employees’ work and personal lives. Upbeat: What is the connection between a company’s Work-Life policy and employee engagement? AR: This Commitment Pyramid highlights what research has repeatedly found but which is often overlooked in other models of commitment: namely that Work-Life support, fl exibility and diversity/inclusion are critical components for building a highly committed, engaged workforce. WFD’s research has demonstrated that employees who agreed they have the fl exibility they need and who have Work-Life support scored 14 percent to 20 percent higher in commitment than those who did not agree. Increased commitment levels also correlate strongly with intent to stay at the company. Recent studies have made it clear that high employee engagement translates into increased discretionary eff ort, higher productivity and lower turnover at the employee level and increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, profi tability and shareholder value for the organization. Upbeat: How can a company draft its Work-Life policy such that it increases employee engagement in the downturn? AR: Now more than ever, companies should use their Work-Life policies as management tools to utilize their most valuable resources – their human resources – effi ciently and eff ectively. Our research fi nding shows that support for Work-Life by the company Commitment Drivers Communication Diversity and inclusion Job satisfaction Flexibility Management eff ectiveness Work-life support Career advancement Enablers Rewards tied to contribution Skill acquisition/development Threshold Factors Safe working conditions/required tools Reasonable compensation and benefi ts The Commitment Pyramid and fi rst line managers and providing employees with more control and fl exibility in their work schedules are powerful drivers of engagement. At a time when so many things are out of employees’ control, Work- Life programs off er low-cost solutions targeted at providing the kind of support and increased control over one’s work and life that build resilience, reduce stress and increase engagement. As the economy improves, if management does not address the work environment, they will risk losing their critical talent to rival organizations. Use fl exible work practices to create staffi ng schedules that meet the business demands and employee needs. Some innovative companies are expanding IN CONVERSATION WITH WORK-LIFE EXPERT IN CONVERSATION WITH WORK-LIFE EXPERT 14 15
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