Many surveys performed on workers show that a majority of them feel disengaged from their company’s goals and broader picture. One of these reputable surveys is Gallup’s survey of 2018, which claims that 53% of workers fall under the not engaged group.
This concept is largely misunderstood with much-taking engagement to be satisfied in one’s work. The reality is that though many workers would be satisfied with the working environment, a hefty majority of the same group attend to work each day to pay their bills and have a means to an end.
This limits their productivity, and in the end, companies lose a lot of money in terms of revenue. Sites like this will help your company improve employee engagement and productivity.
How Vital Is This Loss?
This same survey indicates that companies lose up to 550 billion dollars worth of revenue per year. Many board rooms have held meetings to discuss these staggering figures to no avail since most of their approaches to the topic are wrong in the first place.
Many investigations have also been held to try and control this corporate pandemic that has posed a threat to the development of firm business foundations all around the world.
Most of the major business corporations worldwide agree that the impact of disengaged employees is a major issue that needs to be solved as soon as possible. A lot of time and financial investment has gone into the attempt to solve this problem.
Today, many companies have branded themselves as ‘best corporate working environment, but the core issues remain unsolved to most.
They even have ping pong tables, video game consoles to promote extracurricular activities. Others have reward systems to give their employees; well, all this does is satisfy the employee’s environment, but zero of these efforts tackle employee engagement.
Think of it this way. A monastery with plenty for all but a certain group of individuals are masters, and only they know the plans while all the rest are left in the dark. The plenty of food and space for all stops to make any sense as the followers begin to feel left out.
This analogy is an exact extract of company behavior where employees are always in the dark. This leaves them disengaged, and all the goodies you push their way are meaningless.
If, for instance, if the monastery masters could involve their followers in planning, the followers would feel involved and, in turn, be more appreciative of the monastery and serve better. This is the permanent solution to employee engagement which is completely psychological, and it comes in the form of OKRs.
OKRs and Goal Alignment
OKRs, stand for objective and key results. Incorporation of this formula in companies is the healing to the engagement sickness many employees suffer from.
OKR’s strategy goes beyond recruitment and salaries for employees and targets their involvement in the company plans and goals for the company’s betterment.
So How Do They Improve Employee Engagement?
Clear Objectives
OKRs simplify the objectives and key results for you. They are then set in a format that is clear for the employees to understand. This is achieved through the elimination of human error in the formatting of the goals. This is beneficial as now the employees are one with the company goals and function towards the company’s betterment.
Encourage Employees
The sole purpose of OKRs is to influence the feeling of employees about their position in the broader picture of the company.
OKRs encourage employees to work better and more in tune with company progress. This boosts morale among the employees as they take the company goals and struggles to be theirs personally, and in return, profits are accumulated.
Promote Transparency
The adage has always claimed that the truth shall set you free. This company is a gold mine of engagement.
Whenever employees can see and feel one with the company vision, they tend to take pride in it and pull their efforts to do better in their work. A great example of this is Google, which keeps its vision transparent to its employees and the general public.
Allow For Flexibility
Unclear company goals tend to be rigid. They attract a lot of opposition from the company’s workforce, who don’t understand them. OKR powered goals, on the other hand, are clear and hence are well understood.
This gives room for flexibility as employees can experiment with new ideas and attempt new plans, all in light of the major company goals. This has been instrumental in the inventions we have today, as well as the innovations in the field of management.
Room For Autonomy
The company is one solid body, but that does not mean it should be dictatorial. OKR allows room for individual autonomy while still leaving space for the overall company goals.
This is achieved by allowing every employee and team to have their own goal-setting methodology to follow. This unique space is vital in creating a feeling of oneness in the company.
Some Of The Best OKR Sites And Software
Interest in OKRs has spiked in the recent past, and many companies find it hard to choose from the much OKR software available today.
Below are some sites and software you will find intriguing
Weekdone
Koan
Yaguana
Kazoo
Timely
Peoplegoal
Heart Piece
Betterworks
These sites are among the best on offer in recent times. Their functionality is amazing in ensuring employee engagement.
Criteria to Choose Good OKR Software
Consider the following in your comparison of the available software
- User interface – is the interface clean and esthetic? How usable is it for any user, even the low-tech guys?
- Features and functionality –ensure that feedback, goal maps, employee voice, and reporting are in tune with your broader plan.
- Integration –is it easy to connect with other tools in the software? Consider also any pre-built integration in the software.
- Value is the price – your software of choice should not only be price favorable but also contain the value for the dimes you invest for it.
