Co-founder and director of HR consultancy 10Eighty Liz Sebag-Montefiore offers her tips on boosting employee productivity

Some of the world’s most admired companies believe their efforts to engage employees have created a competitive advantage.

The fundamental element required for an organisation to thrive and grow is having employees who are committed, motivated and engaged.

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Engagement is all about the manager who listens, cares, develops and stretches the employee.

Smart companies nurture a culture and environment where talent can flourish and fulfil their potential.

Employee-centric

Managers need to be able to build empathy and understanding of the different needs and interests of their team members.

Thereby they can enable the creation of an employment experience personalised for each employee, sensitive to their skills, values and aspirations.

In short, managers need to be employee-centric.

If we truly believe our people are our greatest asset, then we should reflect that with HR strategies and processes that make improving employee engagement an organisational priority.

Listen, trust and understand

Listen to your employees and give them a meaningful voice, treating them as human beings rather than as a means to an end. That way, staff feel that their opinions count and make a difference.

Trust your employees; we give all employees as much annual leave as they want (as long as they’re on target and you know where they are)!

Good behaviour needs to be exhibited throughout the organisation and made consistent with the organisation’s values.

There’s no point in rewarding someone who isn’t living the values – reward those who deliver and treat people well.

Understand what is important to your staff and what drives them.

Have regular ‘connected conversations’ so they have an opportunity to speak up and, as a manager, have a conversation around whether you can sculpt their job around what they are looking for e.g. flexible working

My key messages are:

• Put the employee first; build the business around their needs
• Understand what is important to employees, what motivates them and what it is they like doing
• Harness the power of positive conversations to make meaningful connections
• Use mass customisation – tailor each job to the individual
• Improve level of employee engagement for sustained profitability and increased shareholder value

HR Consultancy 10Eighty services include career management, leadership and management development, executive coaching and mentoring. It also offers thought leadership, team effectiveness, career transition and outplacement