Page 57 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

44B RE-ENGAGE

Another study documented that survivors of layoffs have diffi-
culty staying productive, again revealing the clear loss of engagement
brought on by actual layoffs or by doubts about how the economy
might affect one’s own employer. Three-fourths of 4,172 workers who
have kept their jobs say their own productivity has dropped since their
organizations let people go. The findings were based on a Leadership
IQ survey of workers who remain employed at 318 companies follow-
ing corporate layoffs conducted since June 2008. 16
Thankfully, employee engagement began to stabilize in the first
quarter of 2009 (Q1 2009 average engagement score was 86.68
compared with Q1 2008 average score of 86.58). One employee re-
flected the sentiment of many who were caught in the midst of this
crisis:

In this economy, you can’t find yourself putting all your eggs in
one basket. It’s not the company’s fault entirely, but I do feel that
[the company] is doing everything they can to protect not only the
interest of their company but also the valuable and skilled workers
that are here. In the end, who knows what will transpire? I have
qualms with certain practices, but overall I am happy with the
effort of the organization; I am impressed with the dedication to
uphold their philosophy in these tough times; and I am delighted to
walk down the hallways in the morning.

The object lesson, however, is quite clear: if a crosswind, such as an
economic recession, suddenly shifts across an employer’s glide path, it
can have a predictably negative impact on employee engagement.

Engaging Leadership in Turbulent Times
In the course of writing this book we profiled several outstanding
organizations that have consistently shown themselves to be a cut
above—the best of the best. We’ll offer a more in-depth treatment of
their mindsets and associated actions later, but first we’ll look at how
they’ve dealt with crisis. How do winning workplaces go about help-
ing employees keep sight of where the business is going? Meet Nalley