Greetings from Ray Kotcher, Senior Partner
and CEO, Ketchum
Since our most important assets are our people, it’s critical that we communicate and engage with them appropriately. While most organizations espouse a culture of trust, it’s not enough to simply say the words. Employees are much more likely to believe what they actually experience in the office than the “openness” and “honesty” posters they see in the halls.
This issue of Perspectives focuses on a “new” era of Employee Engagement and one that makes extensive use of communication. No longer do we “engage” our employees just through company newsletters and corner office announcements. Actually these never engaged employees unless they solicited feedback. Communication today assumes a much broader definition in which employees interact via storytelling, blogs, podcasts and threaded discussions. These channels truly engage employees and enable them to participate actively in the dialogue by providing a place for them to share their thoughts and have an impact in the workplace. But remember, engagement isn’t a one-way street. It depends on employers and employees alike.
To explore this issue, we have been fortunate to draw on the in-depth resources of Stromberg Consulting, our specialists in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors who have worked on employee engagement projects with such clients as FedEx and Dow Chemical, among others. Stromberg helps companies achieve their business objectives by engaging their workforce to deliver results.
I believe you will find especially captivating the conversation with Marcus Buckingham, considered by many to be the leading authority today on employee engagement. A former senior Gallup researcher and author of First, Break All the Rules and his new book Go Put Your Strengths to Work, Buckingham puts forward some provocative views on engaging today’s workforce as well as how employees can best connect with their managers. We also present two global roundtable discussions in this issue and our Stromberg consultants were vital contributors to each.
As usual, I look forward to your feedback on Perspectives. Simply e-mail me at
Warmly,
Ray Kotcher
