Clarity - THE Key to Employee Engagement

As reported in Management-Issues, HR consulting firm Watson Wyatt confirms research that indicates clarity and communication are key to employee engagement.

Their findings:

• Managers who can clearly communicate where their company is going and why everyone is doing what they are doing - are generally much more successful when it comes to engaging their staff.
• Companies that provide their employees with a clear "line of sight" when it comes to vision and direction - tend to have a much more committed, engaged and productive workforce.
• The most important driver for ensuring employee engagement was strategic direction, with other key drivers of engagement being: employer communication, the attention given to customer focus within the organization, and performance management. (Perhaps surprisingly, pay and other rewards came to the bottom of the list.)

BOTTOMLINE: "Business leaders who articulate the business strategy give employees a clear 'line of sight' to how they can best contribute to the performance of their company. But the benefit goes beyond this. It helps to build trust in the company and its management, and creates a positive environment where all employees have well-understood shared goals."