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Hygiene Factors at Work
Hygiene Factors: A pristine culture is built with happy employees. A lot of factors influencing employee happiness? This is something the Hygiene dimension takes care of. The hygiene dimension considers the following factors: how clear are the employees about their role in the organization, do they feel financially secure, do they feel safe, both physically and psychologically, and if the organization’s structure and policies aid in making them perform their best. When the hygiene conditions are taken care of, employees are more engaged and loyal to the firm.
When even some hygiene factors are not in place, the employee experience and hence engagement decreases. Employees are unmotivated to work, confused, feel very uncomfortable, and even fearful about working for the organization. This impacts not only employee retention but also new talent attraction. In order to gain a holistic picture of the hygiene factors that influence employee engagement, it is essential to understand the first dimension drivers that impact them (building blocks, as we call them).
They are:
Role Clarity: Are the employees aware about what their role entails, what is expected of them, and how they fit in the organization’s value chain? Financial Safety: Do employees feel financially secure? Are salaries and incentives paid on time? Are the compensation and benefits clearly communicated? Physical Safety: Does the employee feel physically safe and secure in the workplace? Psychological Safety: Does the employee feel a sense of freedom and ownership of the work they do? Is fear the driving force behind work? Are the employees in a good mental space when they come to work? Structure & Policies: Do the employees feel that the organization’s policies are meant to help them and make it easy for them to do their jobs?
To understand the impact of these first dimension drivers on Hygiene Factors, a deeper analysis of the underlying factors impacting each of these first dimension drivers is required. To facilitate this, The Empuls Pulse Survey model considers second dimension engagement drivers that influence each of the first dimensional drivers of every engagement driver.
Role Clarity: According to Deloitte Insights: “Role clarity is the extent to which individuals understand their areas of responsibility and the impact they can make to the organization. Employees who experience strong role clarity are more likely to feel a sense of identification with the organization and may willingly invest more energy toward positive outcomes.”
In the Empuls Pulse Survey, there are six second dimensional engagement drivers that impact the Role Clarity. They are: Awareness of Competencies mapped (KSA) Possessing the right competencies (KSA) Alignment to competency level Clear sense of purpose Long term career Technology and tools
1.1.Awareness of Competencies mapped (KSA): Do the employees know what knowledge and skills are required to effectively do their jobs?
Being aware of the knowledge and skills needed to do their jobs effectively makes employees feel responsible and take ownership of their work as they know what is required. It helps them to use their existing knowledge and skills effectively. It also encourages them to build their knowledge-base to be more successful at work. Awareness of competencies is a second dimension engagement driver in the Empuls Pulse survey, and it influences the role clarity engagement driver.
1.1.1. Best Practices to improve employee awareness of competencies:
Plan: Induction Training and clarification Do: During the induction, ensure that every employee is aware of their roles and adequately trained/knowledgeable. Create a training program that touches upon the essential requisites of the job. If a fresher or someone without the knowledge or skill is hired, the induction training should train them up on the basics and set them on a path towards acquiring the skill or knowledge within a short, mutually agreed upon time frame.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Conduct a Skill Gaps Analysis and Customize the Skill Gap Training Do: Undertake a comprehensive skill gap analysis of your workforce by involving HR and managers. Involve an external agency if possible, else do it in-house. Use the analysis to deliver tailored training to help your employee improve. These could even be recommendations for free online courses, which they can take and submit the proof of learning.
Time: 4-8 weeks
Plan: Conducting 1:1 role communication and feedback sessions Do: Arrange a 1:1 communication session for every employee to clarify their roles. Create a feedback mechanism where employees can receive regular feedback about their performance. This mechanism should also help employees clarify their doubts about their role, the gaps they face, and what they should learn or acquire to improve.
Time: < 2 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do?
The HR and Managers should own this
The initiatives should be a part of their KRA for the quarter -They should have metrics to measure performance.
How to communicate?
Use internal communication channels to communicate about the various initiatives undertaken on improving competencies awareness. Invite discussions on what areas of competencies do the employees in each department need help with
Measure: The HR and Managers should seek 1:1 feedback after every initiative is implemented
Act: The HR and Managers should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.2.Possesing the right Competencies (KSA): Do the employees feel that they possess the right knowledge and skills required to effectively do their jobs?
Awareness of the competencies required to perform a job is crucial. It is as crucial for an employee to feel that they possess those requisite skills and knowledge. When they think so, they feel confident of performing at their best.
1.2.1 Best practices to improve the employee feeling that they possess the right knowledge and skills required to effectively do their jobs
Plan: Conduct Competency Based Interviews and Training Do: Conduct periodic role-based competency-based interviews. These should be conducted during the course of employment. The aim of the interview is to ask questions/give assignments that help the employees understand the nature of knowledge and skills required for the job, and their competence in these. Share the results to the individuals and create tailored training programs to help employees enhance their knowledge and skills based on the results. By making this a periodic event, the employees will know that they have to prepare for an upcoming interview and hence will invest time on honing their skills and knowledge. Time needed: 2-6 weeks
Plan: Conduct a Rapid Task Analysis (RTA) session for every role/function Do: Undertake conducting multiple RTA sessions across your organization. The idea is to have an approach to identifying tasks related to every job, the related concepts required to be able to do a job well, and organize them in a meaningful manner. Such a session will lead to mapping all the jobs with the skills and knowledge required. Document this mapping and publish this document for employees to self-evaluate their knowledge and skill levels. Time needed: start within 2 weeks
Plan: Create Self Help Guides (SHGs) Do: Focus on creating SHGs to help employees have easy access to the knowledge and skills that they need for the job. This exercise can follow the RTA initiative or be a standalone exercise if there is RTA available for every role. The SHGs can be shared along with the L&D during induction, after appraisals, and also be published in the general repository. Time needed: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Create a Managers are Coaches program Do: Launch a program which helps managers become coaches. Make it a mandate for managers to spend time with their reportees, and work 1:1 with them to assess and improve their core skills. Equip the managers with the requisite resources to coach their team-members. Provide training for managers on the GROW model: help the employees establish the goal, examine the current reality, explore options, and decide what they will do.
Time needed: < 2 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do? -HR and Managers should co- own the actionable insights.
It should be a part of their KRA for the quarter.
How to communicate?
Use the group feature on Empuls to reach out to teams and the Townhall to announce these company-wide initiatives Also communicate using the internal mails and highlight the initiatives on the group newsletters.
Measure: The HR and Managers should run a small survey to seek feedback after implementing every initiative. They should also give tests to employees, wherever applicable, to measure their performance; asking them to self-evaluate their understanding
Act: The HR and Managers should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.3.Alignment to competency levels: Do the employees feel that their competencies are aligned with the jobs they do?
Feeling that the job one is doing is aligned with one’s competencies and contributes to the company’s growth is essential for employee satisfaction. It gives a sense of fulfillment in terms of using one’s skills and knowledge to discharge one’s work. In the Empuls Survey, it is considered as a second dimension engagement driver that impacts role clarity.
1.3.1 Best practices to improve the employee alignment to their competency levels and hence company strategy
Plan: Create the one page strategic plan (TOPS) for your company and communicate it Do: Get the leadership involved to create an easy-to-read TOPS which communicates the brand’s vision, mission, and values. The HR and managers should be focused on sharing the TOPS and also explaining to the employees about how their departments and teams are contributing to the TOPS. Time needed: 2-4 weeks to begin the exercise
Plan: Conduct a Competency Analysis in line with company strategy Do: This is a simple exercise that every team lead/manager can do with their reportees/ teams. The team lead/manager should conduct a 3-hour workshop or 1:1 where the team lead/manager first lays down how the team’s targets and work align with the company strategy. They should then conduct a reflective exercise where each team member writes down what they do to contribute towards the team’s efforts and match it with their skillsets. This exercise aims to connect individual competencies, everyday tasks, and the company’s strategy.
Time needed: < 2 weeks
Plan: Create a knowledge repository of micro-lessons and other learning material for every team Do: Invite and invest in creating a knowledge repository to learn and understand the different tools, skills, and knowledge required by every team. Employees can contribute to these repositories, and everyone in the team and across the teams can benefit.
Time needed: 4-8 weeks.
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The HR and Managers should own the actionable insights. It should be a part of their KRA for the quarter. They should have metrics to measure their performance.
How to communicate?
Use the group feature on Empuls to reach out to team members to have team level conversations. Use the Empuls Town Hall to encourage discussions around Company Strategy
Measure: The HR and Managers should both run a small survey and seek one on one feedback after every initiative is implemented They should also ask employees to self-evaluate their alignment levels after the initiative has been implemented
Act: The HR and Managers should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.4.Clear sense of purpose: Do the employees feel that their work has an impact on the company and hence own it?
A research by Prof Barry Schlenker from the University of Florida found that people with a strong sense of responsibility were more likely to commit to higher performance levels, persist longer, and have a greater ownership of the results. One of the key drivers of responsibility was a strong sense of identity which gave rise to a sense of purpose. In the Empuls Survey, having a clear sense of purpose is a second dimension engagement driver which impacts role clarity.
1.4.1 Best practices to help employees have a clear sense of purpose
Plan: Conduct connect the dots sessions Do: Everyone from the top- leadership team, department heads, team leads, and managers should hold connect the dots sessions as workshops. Some of the points to be covered include: -Communicate and clarify the company’s plans
How each department contributes to them
Provide the teams with a larger picture.
They should also elucidate how each team functions as a vital cog in the wheel
Time needed: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Conduct Answer the why series Do: The leadership should focus on running a series of discussions and conversations elaborating on “why” the company is doing what it is doing. They should seek to converse and clarify the purpose of the organization. This can even be a regular feature of an AMA.
Time needed: <2 weeks to begin
Plan: Enable collaborations and trainings Do: The HR and Managers should involve the senior and high-performing staff to collaborate and mentor junior employees on essential functional or soft skills. Making this an inter-departmental affair fosters better transparency, communication, and indirectly instills a sense of purpose for working towards a larger goal as a team.
Time needed: 2-6 weeks to begin
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The Leadership team and HR should co-own the actionable insights. It should be a part of their monthly goals and be communicated across the teams.
How to communicate? Announce the creation and running of the chosen initiative on company mails as well as on Empul. Keep adding any valuable insights obtained through the process.
Measure: Seek individual feedback to take note of what is going well and what is not.
Act: The Leadership team and HR should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.5.Long term career outlook: Do your employees plan to have a long career in your organization?
The long-term outlook is a second dimension driver which throws light upon where the organization features in an employee’s career plan. Engaged employees are also loyal and long-term employees. Therefore, focussing on enabling an ecosystem that makes employees keep the organization as a part of the long-term career plan is essential for a good eNPS score.
1.5.1 Best practices to impact long term career outlook of employees
Plan: Initiate sessions on Heart to heart conversations on individual growth paths Do: The onus is on the management and managers to help employees know how much they can grow and how far they can go in the organization. The leadership should train the managers to conduct a 1:1 exercise to let every employee know how and where they can grow by discussing the career paths available in the organization. The managers have to seek to understand their aspirations and discuss how the organization can help set them on the path to achieving their aspirations.
Time needed: 4 weeks
Plan: Create and offer comprehensive benefits Do: The leadership should focus on creating a benefits package which is in tune with the times and goes over and beyond the compensation. Work flexibility, medical benefits, generous leave policies, and attractive performance-based bonuses are some components that should be added. Time needed: 2-4 weeks
Plan: AMAs connecting long-term employees with the others Do: Conduct AMAs where long-term employees who have grown in the company can talk and answer questions about their growth within the company. Invite other employees to join and participate in these AMAs. Some of the points which the long-term employees can cover include: When did they join your organization and at what role? How have the grown- elucidating on each milestone How did the growth happen and how did they plan for it? Tips for others to plan their career path within the organization
Time needed: < 2 weeks to begin
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The Leadership team and Managers should own the actionable insights. It should be a part of their monthly goals and be communicated across the teams.
How to communicate?
Announce the creation and running of the chosen initiative on company mails as well as on Empuls. Keep adding any valuable insights obtained through the process.
Measure: Seek individual feedback to take note of what is going well and what is not.
Act: The Leadership team and Managers should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.6.Knowledge of Tools and Technology: Do the employees feel that they have the required tools and technologies to do their work efficiently?
According to SHRM, employee experience is an intersection of three factors: corporate culture, the technology ecosystem, and the physical workspace. The technology ecosystem comprises all the apps, software, e-learning tools, social intranet, inter-office communication tools, and the design and user experience of using this tech ecosystem. In the Empuls Survey, Knowledge of Tools and Technology is a second dimension engagement driver which impacts role clarity.
1.6.1 Best practices to improve knowledge of Tools and Technology
Plan: Provide Tools and Technology Training Sessions Do: During induction and as a regular quarterly feature, involve the tech team to train the employees on all the tools and software used, both by the organization and the individual teams. This will help the employees learn, understand, and refresh their knowledge about the various technologies and tools used. Also incorporate a doubt clearing session at the end to help employees clarify their doubts.
Time needed: < 2 weeks
Plan: Invest in integrated cloud-based solutions Do: The leadership should work with the tech team to identify the most appropriate integrated cloud-based solution and implement them. This would ensure that everyone's tech needs are satisfied with one workspace solution, without the need to download multiple software and tools. Time needed: >4 weeks to begin
Plan: Conduct a Tools and Tech Audit Do: With help from the tech team, HR should do a team-wise and employee-wise audit and feedback session to understand the hits and misses w.r.t using the current tech ecosystem. These sessions should also serve as an AMA to clarify any doubts regarding the existing tech ecosystem.
Time needed: 2-4 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The Tech team is the primary owner here. The Leadership team and HR should work with the Tech team to own the actionable insights. The Tech team should make the goals as a part of the KRAs and have metrics to measure performance
How to communicate?
The tech team should reach out to teams on mails and on Empuls to explain about the objective behind undertaking an initiative.
Measure: Seek individual feedback to improve on the tech ecosystem.
Act: The Tech team should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
1.7. Actionable Insights on the Pulse Survey Results
Weak: Score less than 3.
Insight: A majority of your employees do not have role clarity.
To improve awareness of competencies :
One on one Role communication and feedback
To improve how employees feel that they possess the right knowledge and skills required to effectively do their jobs: Conduct a Rapid Task Analysis (RTA) session for every role/function Managers are coaches program To improve how employees feel that their competencies are aligned with the jobs they do: Competency Analysis in line with company strategy
To improve the employees sense of purpose: Answer the why
To improve the long term career outlook of employees:
Connect long-term employees with the others
To improve the knowledge of tools and technology: Provide a Tools and Technology Training
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
At risk: Score between 3 and 4, showing a downward trend in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: While more than 50% of your employees have role clarity, there is a negative trend and this is at risk of becoming a weakness.
To improve awareness of competencies :
Induction Training and clarification
One on one Role communication and feedback
To improve how employees feel that they possess the right knowledge and skills required to effectively do their jobs: Create Self Help Guides (SHGs) based on RTA document To improve how employees feel that their competencies are aligned with the jobs they do:
Create the one page strategic plan (TOPS) for your company and communicate it
To improve the employees sense of purpose: Conduct connect the dots sessions
To improve the long term career outlook of employees: Offer comprehensive benefits To improve the knowledge of tools and technology: Conduct a Tools and Tech Audit
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken Acceptable: Score between 3 and 4, showing no change in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: More than 50% of your employees have role clarity; however this has not improved.
To improve awareness of competencies :
Skill Gaps Analysis and Skill Gap Training To improve how employees feel that they possess the right knowledge and skills required to effectively do their jobs:
Competency Based Interviews and Training Create Self Help Guides (SHGs) based on RTA document
To improve how employees feel that their competencies are aligned with the jobs they do: Create a knowledge repository of micro-lessons and other learning material for every team
To improve the employees sense of purpose: Enable collaborations and trainings
To improve the long term career outlook of employees: Heart to heart conversations on individual growth paths
To improve the knowledge of tools and technology: Invest in integrated cloud-based solutions
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Improving: Score between 3 and 4, showing an increasing trend Insight: More than 50% of your employees have role clarity, and there is an increasing trend in this sentiment. Work on converting this to a strength.
Continue doing what you are doing, and use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to turn this second dimension engagement driver into a strength.
Strength: Score above 4 Insight: More than 80% of your employees have role clarity. This is an area of strength for your organization. Keep up the good work!
Continue doing what you are doing, document your actions and share them with us. Also use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to ensure that this second dimension engagement driver remains a strength.
Financial Safety: According to extensive research done by The Josh Bersin Company, financial fitness is an essential aspect of a healthy organizational framework. Financial fitness encompasses complete aspects of compensation and benefits. A healthy organization is one where holistic employee well-being is enabled; here financial safety plays an important role. Without the assurance of financial safety, employees would be insecure, worried, and unable to work productively. It would also lead to attrition and difficulty in attracting fresh talent.
In the Empuls Pulse Survey, there are two second dimensional engagement drivers that impact the Financial Safety of an organization. They are: Compensation Benefits
2.1. Compensation: Do the employees feel that they are fairly compensated for the work they do?
When employees are fairly compensated, that is they feel their pay is in line with their skills, experience, and the work they do, they are more engaged and productive at work. According to one of SHRM’s research, better pay is one of the top three criteria for job satisfaction.
2.1.1. Best Practices to improve employee opinion on their compensation:
Plan: Conduct a comparison exercise and bring pay to existing industry standards Do: Conduct a comparison exercise to compare and contrast all the existing pay scales in your organization to industry benchmarks. Wherever the difference is more than 10% in either direction, make a note. Take steps to bring every pay scale on par with the industry benchmarks. Take steps to communicate this decision to all your employees. Also, focus on highlighting on pay scales that exceed industry standards.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Re-architect your pay scales Do: Revamp your pay scale structure by adding multiple layers, incentivizing performance by compensating it at every level. Every designation should have compensations that meet the industry benchmarks and have various performance milestone-based variable pay, which should not only make the role attractive but also remunerative!
Time: 4-8 weeks
Plan: Host 1:! AMAs on compensation to conduct an as-is analysis Do: In collaboration with the HR and Managers, the leadership team should hold individual AMAs with individual employees to clarify their doubts on their compensations and get feedback on their thoughts on the existing compensation structures. The AMAs should also include questions from the employees that can be answered by the management.They should also seek ideas from the employees to improve the compensation structure. Time: < 2 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The Leadership team and HR should own this. It should be a part of their KRA for the quarter, and have metrics to measure performance.
How to communicate?
Send personal emails to every employee to communicate regarding the initiatives that are undertaken. Use Empuls to start conversations around compensation policies.
Measure: The Leadership team and HR should seek 1:1 feedback on the initiatives taken around compensation. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
2.2. Benefits: Are the employees satisfied with their current benefits structure?
Benefits are non-wage compensations that are offered to employees. They can be both financial and non-financial in nature. A good benefits program helps boost employee morale. According to one of SHRM’s research, the benefits offered are among the top three criteria for job satisfaction. In the Empuls Pulse Survey, Benefits are a second dimension engagement driver.
2.2.1. Best Practices to improve employee opinion on the benefits offered:
Plan: Reassess and improve on the employee well-being benefits offered Do: In these pandemic times, employee well-being has taken greater precedence over everything else. Companies focussing on employee well-being are thriving. In order to show your employees that you care, improve the well-being benefits that you offer. Conduct research on the different wellness benefits offered in your industry. Add whatever is missing your benefits packages, and add some more to make your employees happier.
Time: 4-8 weeks
Plan: Initiate a move towards a total rewards package Do: Revamp your existing pay package and initiate a move towards a total rewards strategy that encompasses compensation, benefits, perks, rewards, and recognition, all of which are above the industry standards. Create a plan for achieving this and start incorporating the plan in stages.
Time: 8-12 weeks
Plan: Create a Pick a tailored perks and benefit plan Do: Create a bucket list of different kinds of benefits from which your employees can choose what is relevant to them. For example, you can allow your employees to choose from paid vacations or fertility treatments under medical coverage to help them tailor their benefits plans. While this will not entail too much of an additional cash outflow for you, it will empower your employees to choose the benefits that make the most sense to them. Time: < 2 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do?
The Leadership team and HR should own this.
The Leadership should work on the financial and policy aspects of these initiatives.
HR should focus on research and implementation.
It will be an endeavour that will require a quarter to implement.
How to communicate?
Send personal emails to every employee to communicate regarding the initiatives that are undertaken. Use Empuls to start conversations around what personalized benefits would each employee like to have
Measure: The Leadership team and HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken around compensation. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
2.3. Actionable Insights on the Pulse Survey Results
Weak: Score less than 3.
Insight: A majority of your employees are not feeling financially secure.
To improve employee opinion on their compensation :
Host one-on-one AMAs on compensation to conduct an as-is analysis
Compare and bring pay to existing industry standards
To improve employee opinion on the benefits offered: Pick a tailored perk and benefit plan
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
At risk: Score between 3 and 4, showing a downward trend in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: While more than 50% of your employees are feeling financially secure, there is a negative trend and this is at risk of becoming a weakness.
To improve employee opinion on their compensation :
Re-architect your pay scales
Compare and bring pay to existing industry standards
To improve employee opinion on the benefits offered: Pick a tailored perk and benefit plan Reassess and improve on the employee well-being benefits offered
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken Acceptable: Score between 3 and 4, showing no change in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling financially secure; however this has not improved.
To improve employee opinion on their compensation :
Re-architect your pay scales
Compare and bring pay to existing industry standards
To improve employee opinion on the benefits offered: Move towards a total rewards package Reassess and improve on the employee well-being benefits offered
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Improving: Score between 3 and 4, showing an increasing trend Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling financially secure , and there is an increasing trend in this sentiment. Work on converting this to a strength.
Continue doing what you are doing, and use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to turn this second dimension engagement driver into a strength.
Strength: Score above 4 Insight: More than 80% of your employees are feeling financially secure. This is an area of strength for your organization. Keep up the good work!
Continue doing what you are doing, document your actions and share them with us. Also use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to ensure that this second dimension engagement driver remains a strength.
Physical Safety: According to SHRM, employee experience intersects three factors: corporate culture, the technology ecosystem, and the physical workspace. The physical workspace includes all the places (and their environments) that an employee has access to work from: the physical office, including lounges/cafes/workstations, home office/remote offices (more so during pandemic times), and artwork/showpieces; and safety within the workplace.Further research by SHRM shows that workplaces focused on employee experience have four times higher average profits and twice as much average revenues as organizations that don't.
In the Empuls Pulse Survey, there are two second dimensional engagement drivers that impact the Physical Safety of an organization. They are: Workplace bullying and harassment Facilities
3.1. Workplace bullying and harassment: How safe do your employees feel safe at the workplace (both online and offline)?
Workplace safety is essential for employees working in peace. Understanding if there is a threat to workplace safety is important for organizations to be able to take rapid actions and ensure that the working environment is amiable to work. In the Empuls Pulse Survey, workplace safety is a second dimension engagement driver that is a part of the Hygiene factors.
3.1.1. Best Practices to prevent and eliminate workplace bullying and harassment:
Plan: Make POSH training compulsory Do: Make completion of POSH training compulsory and ensure that everyone undergoes it and is tested on their understanding. Time: <2 weeks to begin
Plan: Create and Conduct Diversity, Inclusion, Workplace Harassment and Workplace Bullying Training Programs Do: Create periodic training programs on educating and sensitizing your employees on diversity, inclusion, workplace harassment, and workplace bullying. Conduct these programs in a phased manner and test understanding. The training should include role-plays and answer questions. These sessions should also be conducted periodically. Time: 4-8 weeks
Plan: Create an anti-harassment and anti-bullying committee Do: Create a committee for preventing and handling complaints regarding harassment and bullying. Ensure the committee members are a heterogeneous mix. The committee’s policies, functioning, and how it handles complaints should be documented and published to establish transparency. The committee should also establish a process on how employees can reach out for redressal. Time: 2-4 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The HR should own this and collaborate with all the employees to set-up the various initiatives.
How to communicate?
Send frequent personal emails to every employee to understand if they have been bullied or harassed Use Empuls to start conversations around workplace bullying and harassment. The leadership should communicate the anti-bullying and anti-harassment stance periodically. Measure: The Leadership team and HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken around prevention of harassment and bullying. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
3.2. Facilities: How comfortable are the physical working conditions for your employees?
Comfortable physical working conditions are essential for employees to work productively. In the Empuls Pulse Survey, facilities are a second dimension engagement driver that is a part of the Hygiene factors.
3.2.1. Best Practices to improve physical working conditions:
Plan: Conduct periodic As-is surveys Do: Periodically understanding how the current physical working conditions are is important to work towards making it better. Run a survey to understand how the present workspace is for your employees (covering remote and hybrid working conditions). Questions should include: the physical comfort, the lighting available, and the work environment conditions. These questions can provide insights, especially in a remote workforce, to help organizations better the working conditions. Time: 2 weeks
Plan: Make Investments for Remote Workspaces Do: Depending on the feedback of the as-is survey, offer various packages aimed at improving the physical workspace of your employees- these packages can be customized based on your working style and current finances. The packages could include work from home allowances, offering investments to buying ergonomic furniture for working or paying for remote co-working spaces.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Educate and protect against workplace hazards especially in manufacturing and production firm Do: Educate your employees on the various workplace hazards and also equip them with the requisite protection. These include fire drills, safety equipment training, etc. Such educational training should be conducted periodically to be abreast with the latest best practices. Time: 4-6 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The HR should own this and collaborate with all the employees to set-up the various initiatives.
How to communicate?
Send individual communications to participate in the knowledge gathering and sharing initiatives Measure: HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken around improving the facilities. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
3.3. Actionable Insights on the Pulse Survey Results
Weak: Score less than 3.
Insight: A majority of your employees are not feeling physically safe.
To prevent and eliminate workplace bullying and harassment:
Make POSH training compulsory
To improve physical working conditions As-is survey Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
At risk: Score between 3 and 4, showing a downward trend in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: While more than 50% of your employees are feeling physically safe, there is a negative trend and this is at risk of becoming a weakness.
To prevent and eliminate workplace bullying and harassment:
Make POSH training compulsory Create anti-harassment and anti-bullying committee
To improve physical working conditions Investments for Remote Workspaces Educate and protect against workplace hazards especially in manufacturing and production firm
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Acceptable: Score between 3 and 4, showing no change in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling financially secure; however this has not improved.
To prevent and eliminate workplace bullying and harassment:
Make POSH training compulsory
Create and Conduct Diversity, Inclusion, Workplace Harassment and Workplace Bullying Training Programs
To improve physical working conditions Investments for Remote Workspaces Educate and protect against workplace hazards especially in manufacturing and production firm
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Improving: Score between 3 and 4, showing an increasing trend Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling physically safe , and there is an increasing trend in this sentiment. Work on converting this to a strength.
Continue doing what you are doing, and use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to turn this second dimension engagement driver into a strength.
Strength: Score above 4 Insight: More than 80% of your employees are feeling physically safe. This is an area of strength for your organization. Keep up the good work!
Continue doing what you are doing, document your actions and share them with us. Also use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to ensure that this second dimension engagement driver remains a strength.
Psychological Safety: According to Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, in her book The Fearless Organisation: Creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth (2018), psychological safety feel safe enough to ask questions, share concerns, take risks, and explore ideas without worrying about the loss of a job or promotions. Psychological safety also leads to feeling motivated to work and having a sense of accomplishment at work. It is an important factor that impacts the eNPS.
In the Empuls Pulse Survey, there are four second dimensional engagement drivers that impact the Psychological Safety of an organization. They are: Work life balance Professional accomplishment Feeling motivated Job security
4.1. Work life balance: What do your employees feel about the work life balance that your organization offers?
Work life balance is important for people to feel happy and stay in their jobs. In fact one of the reasons behind the Great resignation has been a poor work life balance during the pandemic times. In the Empuls Pulse Survey, work life balance is a second dimension engagement driver that is a part of the Hygiene factors.
4.1.1. Best Practices to improve the work life balance in your organization:
Plan: Introduce Mandatory Time-offs Do: Every organization provides at least a minimum number of PTOs. Yet, not all employees proactively use them to recharge and rejuvenate. Implement a mandatory time-off policy where every employee has to take a minimum set of days off every year. It can even be made periodic, and the HRMS can be scheduled to remind the employee about it. Time: 1 week
Plan: Offer Compensatory Time-offs Do: Implement a compensatory time-off policy that compensates an employee for working on a non-working day. Make it flexible so that it can be combined with weekends or PTOs so that your employees can get a longer break Time: 1 week
Plan: Avoid mailing during weekends and holidays Do: Create a company-wide policy where bosses and managers are trained to not avoid mailing their reportees during the weekends and on holidays. Such mails can cause stress in employees and are best avoided. Time: 1 week
Plan: Conduct trainings on time-management Do: Involve senior managers and leaders to have quick 45 minute training sessions on time-management. Such sessions should be interspersed with work examples to help employees manage their work better and not work beyond the stipulated hours. Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Automate relevant processes Do: Wherever possible automate redundant and repetitive tasks to ensure that your employees are involved in only meaningful work. This initiative would require managers, the tech team, and HR to work together to first identify the redundant and repetitive tasks that every team performs. Once this list is created, they can ideate to find the most suitable way to automate. There should be at least one champion who oversees the implementation and the adoption of the automation. Time: 4-8 weeks
Plan: Conduct regular check-ins Do: HR should regularly check-in with employees to ensure that they are not feeling overwhelmed at work. These check-ins can be both 1:1 as well through surveys to understand how the employee is feeling at the moment. Time: 3-6 weeks
Plan: Create an employee assistance program (EAP) Do: Having an employee assistance program is a great way to let employees know that you care about their well-being beyond the office. Set up a committee to help create and run the EAP. The aim of the EAP is to help employees in situations unrelated to work and working conditions. The committee members should periodically send updates, create a process for the committee’s operations, and also communicate on how they help employees address their problems. Time: 4-8 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do? -The HR should co-own the initiatives with the leadership and management
Many of these initiatives can be implemented simultaneously
The initiatives should be a part of the KRA of the HR and leaderships
How to communicate?
Send individual emails as well announce on Empuls
Measure: HR should send a survey/feedback form to get insights on the initiatives taken around improving the facilities. Act: The HR and leadership should then use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
4.2. Professional accomplishment: Measuring the sense of accomplishment your employees feel at work?
Feeling a sense of accomplishment at work is important as it acts as intrinsic motivation to work better. Motivated employees are more engaged and hence more productive. Professional accomplishment is a second dimension engagement driver in the Empuls Pulse survey.
4.2.1. Best Practices to improve the feeling of professional accomplishment in your employees:
Plan: Training on setting SMART goals Do: Conduct goal-setting training sessions for your employees. A senior HR or manager can conduct this session to teach employees how to set achievable SMART goals. They can also give examples from your organization to help others understand the concept better.
Time: 1 week
Plan: Create an ecosystem for pushing the boundaries Do: As a company ethos, train your managers to help your employees take risks and push boundaries. This would mean that the managers and your employees should know what kind of risks can be taken and also know when to stop so that the risks do not prove too costly. Also make it a company habit to publicly applaud anyone who has tried something new, and it has failed.
Time: < 2 weeks
Plan: Reward and recognize milestones and achievement Do: Set up a comprehensive rewards and recognition program to recognize and reward employees who have achieved their targets and other milestones. Ensure that the rewarding and recognizing happens publicly for all the employees to know and cheer for their colleagues. If possible, also capture the applause and recognition on your social media handles.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Proactive employee feedback management mechanism Do: Create a mechanism to get monthly feedback about every manager, team lead, and leadership members from their reportees. The managers, team leads, and leadership members should then proactively write and communicate about the feedback received and their focus areas of improvement for the upcoming month. The report card of progress should also be shared every month.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Implement a human-human conflict resolution process Do: Create a human-human conflict resolution process within your organization. This would require the leadership to closely work with HR and managers to set-up a conflict resolution process that is fair, equitable, and addresses the issues. Next, train your employees, especially the managers and leaders, to approach conflict resolution with empathy, curiosity to learn, and seeking to understand by asking, “How could we achieve a mutually desirable outcome?” Do role-plays and enacting to drill this process as a part of the psyche.
Time: 4-8 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do? The Leadership, HR, and Managers should own the initiatives The Leadership should closely work with the management to ideate and implement the initiatives The HR should facilitate in creating the training sessions and communicating about them to the employees
How to communicate?
Send individual mails to the employees Use Empuls to announce the training sessions and policy changes on processes Measure: The Leadership and Managers should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives implemented Act: The Leadership and Managers should uUse the feedback to improve on the action plan.
4.3. Feeling of motivation: Do your employees feel motivated to work everyday?
The feeling of motivation to work is important for employees to not only turn up to work but also give their best. It is a second dimension engagement driver in the Empuls Pulse survey.
4.3.1. Best Practices to improve the motivation levels of your employees:
Plan: Create a culture of frequent and meaningful recognition Do: Receiving frequent and meaningful appreciation helps employees feel happy and stay motivated at work. Make it a top-down effort where managers frequently start applauding their teams' efforts. Also, enable peer-to-peer recognition. These can be through personal emails or appreciating on Empuls.
Time: 1 week
Plan: Organize coaching sessions to identify purpose Do: Organize 1:1 coaching sessions between the manager and their team members to identify their primary and secondary working purposes. The session should address the following questions: Why are we doing this? What is the problem this will address? What are we trying to accomplish? Let these be documented and let each employee find creative ways to view their purpose every day- perhaps a wordle/collage saved as a wallpaper.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Create a policy that provides autonomy and freedom to create and innovate Do: The leaders and HR should work together to create an organizational policy that provides autonomy and freedom to create and innovate. This would entail first defining where all innovation and creativity can be applied, including a list of top challenges for which innovative and creative solutions are welcomed. Then, it would involve creating a comprehensive list of checks and balances that have to be applied to evaluate every potential idea, understand the underlying risks, having risk mitigation measures in place, and the extent to which the challenge gets solved. Subsequently, a workshop explaining the policy should be conducted.
Time: > 4 weeks
Plan: Offer cross-departmental working to enable cross-pollination of people and skills Do: As a company policy, allow 2 hours every week for your employees to work with other departments on projects of their choice to acquire skills and knowledge of their choice. This helps in the development of non-linear skill sets as well as keeping the employees motivated and engaged. Time: 4-8 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do? -The Leadership and Managers should own this
They should collaborate with all the HR to set-up and implement the various initiatives
The initiatives should be a part of their KRA for the quarter and have metrics for measuring progress
How to communicate?
Send individual mails to the employees Use Empuls to announce the initiatives and policy changes on processes
Measure: The Leadership and Managers should seek feedback on the initiatives taken by sending a survey Act: They should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
4.4. Job Security: Do your employees feel secure in their jobs?
Employees who feel secure about their jobs are less stressed, trust the company more, and hence more motivated to work better. It is a second dimension engagement driver in the Empuls Pulse survey.
4.4.1. Best Practices to improve the feeling of job security in your employees:
Plan: Create Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) Do: If you do not already have a PIP policy and process, create one. Also communicate about it to your employees. By creating PIPs, your employees will know that if their performance is not on par, they will not be unceremoniously removed but be put through a PIP. Developing and implementing PIPs help improve transparency and confidence between the organization and the employees.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Give additional responsibilities for good performers Do: Let good performers handle additional responsibilities in their current roles and teams. This will make them feel more secure. Time: 3-6 weeks
Plan: Conduct periodic 1:1s sessions between employees and HRs Do: Set up a monthly 1:1 session between the employees and HRs to help employees voice out any concerns they have. The HR’s questions seeking feedback should explicitly cover the job security aspect. Some of the questions can be: Are you feeling secure in your job? Are there any challenges which bother you? Is there anything that the organization can do to make you feel more secure and comfortable in your role?
Time: <1 week to get started
How to manage the above Plan and Do? HR should own this and collaborate with all the managers and employees to set-up and implement the various initiatives.
How to communicate?
Send individual mails to the employees Use Empuls to announce the initiatives and policy changes on processes Measure: The HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken around improving the facilities.
Act: The HR should use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
4.5 Actionable Insights on the Pulse Survey Results
Weak: Score less than 3.
Insight: A majority of your employees are not feeling psychologically safe.
To improve the work life balance in your organization:
Mandatory Time-offs Compensatory Time-offs Avoiding mailing during weekends and holidays
To improve the feeling of professional accomplishment in your employees Train and set SMART goals Encourage pushing the boundaries, applaud failure
To improve the motivation levels of your employees Empower to give feedback and opinions Create a culture of frequent and meaningful recognition
To improve the feeling of job security in your employees Conduct one-on-one sessions between employees and HRs
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
At risk: Score between 3 and 4, showing a downward trend in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: While more than 50% of your employees are feeling psychologically safe, there is a negative trend and this is at risk of becoming a weakness.
To improve the work life balance in your organization:
Mandatory Time-offs Trainings on time-management One-on-one check-ins
To improve the feeling of professional accomplishment in your employees Train and set SMART goals Reward and recognize milestones and achievement Ask for employee feedback
To improve the motivation levels of your employees Coaching to identify purpose Create a culture of frequent and meaningful recognition
To improve the feeling of job security in your employees Create Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Acceptable: Score between 3 and 4, showing no change in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling psychologically safe; however this has not improved.
To improve the work life balance in your organization:
Create employee assistance program (EAP) Automate relevant processes
To improve the feeling of professional accomplishment in your employees Implement a human-human conflict resolution process Ask for employee feedback
To improve the motivation levels of your employees Autonomy and freedom to create and innovate To improve the feeling of job security in your employees Give additional responsibilities for good performers Create PIPs
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Improving: Score between 3 and 4, showing an increasing trend Insight: More than 50% of your employees are feeling psychologically safe , and there is an increasing trend in this sentiment. Work on converting this to a strength.
Continue doing what you are doing, and use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to turn this second dimension engagement driver into a strength.
Strength: Score above 4 Insight: More than 80% of your employees are feeling psychologically safe. This is an area of strength for your organization. Keep up the good work!
Continue doing what you are doing, document your actions and share them with us. Also use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to ensure that this second dimension engagement driver remains a strength.
Structure and Policies Organizational structure and policies must ensure that the employees feel that they enable them to perform at their best. According to this study, 44% of the respondents felt that good organizational structure helps in motivating performance, 24% responded saying that it helps them in sharpening their skills, and another 24% of the employees responded by saying it helps in increasing the productivity of the organization. In the Empuls Survey, Organizational Structure and policies are a first dimension engagement driver. They are impacted by two second dimension drivers, namely: Policies & procedures Organizational structure
5.1 Policies & procedures:
The policies and procedures in place help an employee align with the company’s values, mission, and vision. They also play an important role in helping an employee understand how the organization enforces the rules of work and what kind of behaviour it desires from its employees.
5.1.1. Best Practices to improve policies and procedures:
Plan: Create and publish an employee handbook Do: Whether you already have one or do not have one, the creation of an employee handbook which documents all the policies and procedures is important. This document should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of an employee’s work life including the perks and benefits offered, the technology, D&I, and healthcare policies in place, and all procedures that have to be followed. Publish this document in your common repository in the form of a handbook. Every employee should be able to access it and every new joinee should be given this when they join the organization. Time: 2 weeks
Plan: Make D&I and POSH a part of the organization policy and conduct periodic training Do: Create POSH and D&I policies. Publish them and make them accessible to every employee. ALso, conduct frequent training on your D&I and POSH policies to ensure that employees are abreast with how they work, and what they should be doing in case they need some redressal. Time: 2 weeks
Plan: Establish a robust feedback mechanism for continuous improvement Do: Establish a feedback mechanism, either through periodic surveys or feedback forms, to take the employee's opinion on the different policies and existing procedures. Also, amend these policies based on feedback. Proactively also communicate the policy changes made based on employee feedback. Time: 2- 4 weeks to set up the mechanism
Plan: Invest in a HR Software Do: Invest in a HR software that allows efficient implementation of policies and procedures. To be able to identify a suitable HR software, you will have to first create a list of objectives that the software has to meet. Based on your requirements, you should then research the available ones. Choose one that holistically enables efficient policy implementation. Time: >4 weeks to start
Plan: Conduct AMAs on policies and procedures Do: HR should conduct periodic AMAs to clarify and communicate the details regarding the different policies, procedures, and related amendments to the employees. Time: >3 weeks
How to manage the above Plan and Do?
The HR should own this
Setting up the initiatives should be on their monthly and quarterly KRAs.
How to communicate?
Use Empuls and personal communication to talk about the various initiatives Run a quiz on the policies and procedures and recognize winners Measure: The HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken on communicating and improving on the policies and procedures. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan.
5.2 Organizational structure
The organizational structure facilitates creating processes and workflows within the organization. Awareness and alignment with the structure help employees perform better. It is an essential second dimension driver as it influences how the employees feel about their firm's workflows and hierarchy of management.
5.2.1. Best Practices to improve feelings about the organization structure:
Plan: Publish a blueprint of the organization structure Do: Create a blueprint of the organization structure and share it within the company. This would help employees know what the organizational structure is. Time: 2 weeks
Plan: Creating a simpler chain of command and lesser hierarchical structure Do: Creating an organizational structure that leans towards a flatter organization decreases the chains of command. This helps employees get responses faster. They also aid in faster decision-making. Work towards establishing a flatter hierarchical structure. Moving to a lesser chain of commands of flat office structure requires careful planning. The leadership should work with the managers to first evaluate the existing organizational structure, identify the bottlenecks, come up with alternate ways to remove the bottlenecks, and then apply the 5 whys technique to validate the options before implementing them.
Time: 2-4 weeks
Plan: Conduct periodic FGDs to improve team structures Do: The HR a should conduct periodic focus group discussions which seek to understand any bottlenecks in the process or command flows. These would give insights on how the existing organizational structure can be improved and minimize friction. Time: >4 weeks to start
How to manage the above Plan and Do? -The HR and Leadership should own this
Setting up the initiatives should be on their monthly and quarterly KRAs.
How to communicate?
Use Empuls and personal communication to talk about the various initiatives
Measure: The HR should seek one-on-one feedback on the initiatives taken on communicating and improving on the organization structure. Act: Use the feedback to improve on the action plan. Actionable Insights on the Pulse Survey Results
Weak: Score less than 3.
Insight: A majority of your employees are not happy with your policies, procedures, and organizational structure.
To improve policies and procedures:
Create an employee handbook Make D&I and POSH a part of the organization policy
To improve feelings about the organization structure: Publish a blueprint of the organization structure
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
At risk: Score between 3 and 4, showing a downward trend in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: While more than 50% of your employees are happy with your policies, procedures, and organizational structure, there is a negative trend and this is at risk of becoming a weakness.
To improve policies and procedures:
Feedback mechanism for continuous improvement Make D&I and POSH a part of the organization policy
To improve feelings about the organization structure: Creating a simpler chain of command and lesser hierarchical structure
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Acceptable: Score between 3 and 4, showing no change in the last 3 pulse runs
Insight: More than 50% of your employees are happy with your policies, procedures, and organizational structure; however this has not improved.
To improve policies and procedures:
Invest in a HR software Conduct AMAs on policies and procedures
To improve feelings about the organization structure: Conduct FGDs to improve team structures
Overall: Focus on communicating about the actions taken
Improving: Score between 3 and 4, showing an increasing trend Insight: More than 50% of your employees are happy with your policies, procedures, and organizational structure , and there is an increasing trend in this sentiment. Work on converting this to a strength.
Continue doing what you are doing, and use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to turn this second dimension engagement driver into a strength.
Strength: Score above 4 Insight: More than 80% of your employees are happy with your policies, procedures, and organizational structure. This is an area of strength for your organization. Keep up the good work!
Continue doing what you are doing, document your actions and share them with us. Also use the Good practices document to incorporate new initiatives to ensure that this second dimension engagement driver remains a strength.
REFERENCES: High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here’s How to Create It (hbr.org) SHRM guide on retaining talent A new mandate for HR, HBR Creating a purpose-driven organization, HBR SHRM guide on onboarding Training IT Staff, SHRM SHRM Guide on Creating a More Human Workplace Where Employees and Business Thrive Optimizing Employee Experience, SHRM Making learning a part of everyday, HBR Rewriting the rules for a digital age, Deloitte Insights Performance management that makes a difference, SHRM RTA and SHG, University of Minnesota
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