Understanding Executive Engagement
Oceanic Pharmachem Private Limited (OPPL) understands that along with the middle and lower-level workforce, the top level has to be addressed by the Human Resources Department to create a balanced work culture. When employee engagement is discussed, most people consider lower-level employees and middle managers. This workforce has minimal authority over daily tasks, is least job-secure, and tends to receive the lowest pay and benefits packages, making them more likely to be disengaged from work. As a result, engagement solutions to retain lower-level employees are abundant.
However, while HR professionals dedicate the majority of their efforts to engaging this segment of the workforce, top-level executives often face challenges in today's environment. Despite having greater responsibilities and higher remuneration, these executives can still become disengaged from their work, leading to decreased productivity and posing a risk to the entire business, including lower-level workers. The engagement strategies effective for lower-level employees do not necessarily apply to higher-level business leaders, necessitating a distinct approach for executive engagement.
Challenges in Engaging Top Executives
HR typically pays less attention to top executives due to several factors. Executives usually earn high salaries, have more control over their schedules and tasks, and thus, the monetary rewards and engagement tactics familiar to HR may not resonate with this group. Additionally, most HR representatives may struggle to relate to upper-level executives as they have more in common with low-level employees. While HR professionals earn respectable salaries and benefits, their daily tasks may have minimal impact on the overarching goals and direction of the company. Interaction with executives is often limited to the CHRO and similar top-tier HR members, resulting in few HR personnel truly understanding the lifestyle and challenges of working at higher organizational levels.
Understanding Executive Needs
The initial step in engaging these executives is to comprehend them. Despite their distinct responsibilities, executives are human and experience stress, job concerns, and worries about their subordinates' and families' well-being. They have interests, hobbies, consume media, and derive pleasure from simple joys like everyone else. Recognizing these aspects should enable HR to empathize better with higher-level employees. Understanding the topics executives discuss among themselves, including business direction, organizational design, schedules, meetings, gossip, mutual acquaintances, and work-related discussions, can provide valuable insights for HR professionals.
Developing Executive Engagement Strategies
Apart from their wealth and authority, executives share similarities with other employees within an organization. Therefore, HR professionals only need to identify what motivates individual executives to develop effective engagement strategies for them. Some common motivators for higher-level executives include the need to feel their talents are crucial for business success, a desire to enjoy their work, the importance of workplace culture, and the need for challenging roles. Developing engagement programs tailored to executives becomes simpler when recognizing how basic and universal their needs and desires are.
Enhancing Executive Motivation
To enhance their motivation, HR representatives can introduce initiatives such as a thanksgiving day where higher-level employees receive executive gifts. Improving workplace chemistry can be achieved through mandatory team-building exercises for top-level staff. Another effective tactic is to foster closer connections between executives and their subordinates. While some high-level managers naturally build relationships with lower-level employees, most executives maintain a certain distance. HR should coach executives on their leadership behavior towards lower levels, highlighting areas for improvement in leadership methods and outcomes. HR should set an example by prioritizing people and demonstrating how executives should engage with other members of the organization. If needed, HR should encourage executives to enroll in leadership training courses, emphasizing that reaching higher levels does not negate the need for acquiring new skills and knowledge. By investing in their employees, organizations can expect a reciprocal investment from their workforce, including executives who recognize the value of such initiatives.
Oceanic Pharmachem Private Limited (OPPL) understands that along with the middle and lower-level workforce, the top level has to be addressed by the Human Resources Department to create a balanced work culture. When employee engagement is discussed, most people consider lower-level employees and middle managers. This workforce has minimal authority over daily tasks, is least job-secure, and tends to receive the lowest pay and benefits packages, making them more likely to be disengaged from work. As a result, engagement solutions to retain lower-level employees are abundant.
However, while HR professionals dedicate the majority of their efforts to engaging this segment of the workforce, top-level executives often face challenges in today's environment. Despite having greater responsibilities and higher remuneration, these executives can still become disengaged from their work, leading to decreased productivity and posing a risk to the entire business, including lower-level workers. The engagement strategies effective for lower-level employees do not necessarily apply to higher-level business leaders, necessitating a distinct approach for executive engagement.
Challenges in Engaging Top Executives
HR typically pays less attention to top executives due to several factors. Executives usually earn high salaries, have more control over their schedules and tasks, and thus, the monetary rewards and engagement tactics familiar to HR may not resonate with this group. Additionally, most HR representatives may struggle to relate to upper-level executives as they have more in common with low-level employees. While HR professionals earn respectable salaries and benefits, their daily tasks may have minimal impact on the overarching goals and direction of the company. Interaction with executives is often limited to the CHRO and similar top-tier HR members, resulting in few HR personnel truly understanding the lifestyle and challenges of working at higher organizational levels.
Understanding Executive Needs
The initial step in engaging these executives is to comprehend them. Despite their distinct responsibilities, executives are human and experience stress, job concerns, and worries about their subordinates' and families' well-being. They have interests, hobbies, consume media, and derive pleasure from simple joys like everyone else. Recognizing these aspects should enable HR to empathize better with higher-level employees. Understanding the topics executives discuss among themselves, including business direction, organizational design, schedules, meetings, gossip, mutual acquaintances, and work-related discussions, can provide valuable insights for HR professionals.
Developing Executive Engagement Strategies
Apart from their wealth and authority, executives share similarities with other employees within an organization. Therefore, HR professionals only need to identify what motivates individual executives to develop effective engagement strategies for them. Some common motivators for higher-level executives include the need to feel their talents are crucial for business success, a desire to enjoy their work, the importance of workplace culture, and the need for challenging roles. Developing engagement programs tailored to executives becomes simpler when recognizing how basic and universal their needs and desires are.
Enhancing Executive Motivation
To enhance their motivation, HR representatives can introduce initiatives such as a thanksgiving day where higher-level employees receive executive gifts. Improving workplace chemistry can be achieved through mandatory team-building exercises for top-level staff. Another effective tactic is to foster closer connections between executives and their subordinates. While some high-level managers naturally build relationships with lower-level employees, most executives maintain a certain distance. HR should coach executives on their leadership behavior towards lower levels, highlighting areas for improvement in leadership methods and outcomes. HR should set an example by prioritizing people and demonstrating how executives should engage with other members of the organization. If needed, HR should encourage executives to enroll in leadership training courses, emphasizing that reaching higher levels does not negate the need for acquiring new skills and knowledge. By investing in their employees, organizations can expect a reciprocal investment from their workforce, including executives who recognize the value of such initiatives.