Boosting work engagement

Employee well-being has never been so prioritized. Today, employees must be offered gyms, nap rooms, mindfulness programs, comfortable seating, flexible leave, massages or osteopathy sessions, and positive psychology sessions to help them feel better. Chief Happiness Officers are also being appointed. All of these actions modify certain aspects of employees' lives, but the changes for the company are not profound. Life and job satisfaction are slightly affected, but can sometimes even lead to disengagement from work due to too much pleasure elsewhere.

How can we take action? Amid all these topics and all these hypes, where should I, HR, start? And perhaps above all, can someone help me understand whether I am taking action to develop the well-being of my employees? Their engagement? Their performance?

Gaucher (2016) began to answer these questions. He wanted to show that well-being influences performance, but in fact, this link is not so clearly established. Another factor then emerged: employee engagement.

And to help us understand, doctors and researchers Ilona Boniwell and Evgeny Osin (2017) have established a new model that includes all these confusing interweavings of performance indicators.

By pooling different research, they were able to show that the commitment is the keystone that would explain a significant increase in performance (mixture of feelings of self-efficacy, effectiveness assessed by supervisors and by numerical performance indicators, KPIs).

It is then this performance that would have an impact on the well-being of employees (emotions, satisfaction with life, work and work-life balance). And this well-being then has an impact on strengthening engagement. It is therefore not the first objective to aim for.

We understand then that the company, like consulting firms, has an interest in proposing actions aimed at engagement in order to also improve performance and well-being.

Engagement is a combination of motivation, involvement, dedication, enjoyment, and interest. It is measured using the UWES scientific scale. It is the primary predictor of performance, which in turn influences well-being.

Is it becoming clearer? Okay, but how do I actually go about improving this commitment?

Three performance levers have been identified : organizational resources, individual resources and work experience.

And in front of each, a multitude of good practices can be put in place. I suggest you savor a few of them:

• For organizational resources , interest may be focused on salary and benefits employees (be careful, removing bonuses or salary is a major factor in disengagement, on the other hand, offering human experiences strengthens engagement). We can work on strengthening a climate of trust (by allowing mistakes and allowing transparency with our colleagues). Managerial support is also very important (indeed, it is the factor that most explains employee departures, and any demonstration of trust and recognition with the work of positive and negative feedback are interesting levers for action). The working conditions studied by the biochemical design movement show, for example, that the colors blue, green, brown and yellow would increase performance. Light, greenery, water, views of the outside are also important factors to take into account. Social importance is also an organizational factor of engagement. It consists of developing in the individual a feeling of pride in belonging and a social sense of the activity carried out. It can be reinforced by positive customer feedback, for example, which would explain how the work done is useful to them or with the development of the company's solidarity activities.
  
  
• For individual resources , developing one's energy capital is essential, for example through physical activity. Cognitive flexibility , which we work on with resilience and neuropsychological techniques, also plays an important role. Emotional agility can also strengthen commitment. Based on the theory of emotional intelligence, it is worked on with meditative techniques, among others. positive action cards offer activities to put in place to work on your emotions. Effective time management is another key factor: you have to ban the sandwich at the office and give yourself real breaks from work to be more efficient ( Zimbardo gives you a little update on the psychology of time ). Self-confidence is worked on with strengths and with a better understanding of your work (job crafting).
  
• Finally, the experience at work consists of what the individual thinks about his work and what motivates him in it. Be careful, all of these factors follow a specific model (Warr, 1994, Vitamin Model). Indeed, each factor must be improved, but be careful if this factor is pushed too far, it will have harmful effects on performance. We will then understand that liberated companies based on these factors can be real models to follow as well as bitter failures. Among the factors we find autonomy . It can be advocated by techniques such as the choice of vacations, time allocated to work for the accomplishment of the tasks of our choice but can lead to disengagement if the individual is too cut off from his company and the people who compose it. Mastery is the fact of developing one's skills. You have to take the time and be efficient. The company can give its employee the opportunity to develop and achieve their successes, as with Appreciative Inquiry for example. Taken to the extreme, this factor can lead to boredom or loss of confidence if the learning objective is too high. Motivation factors are essential; they bring meaning to work and allow for motivation that depends on oneself and not on external factors. (Dan Pink talks about motivation) . There variety The importance of tasks and work is also valuable. Changing leaders, discovering each other's profession, and learning from your works council are ways to develop this variety of tasks. However, if over-incentivized, this factor can be dispersing. Structure must be maintained so that everyone understands their role and the purpose of their activity. It can be stifling or, on the contrary, lead to burnout. Workplace relationships are the final crucial factor in engagement. Indeed, team breakfasts, team-building outings, and strong relationships at work significantly strengthen engagement and the resulting well-being. These connections must be fostered without being detrimental to task completion through too much human contact.

Are the pieces of the puzzle falling into place? Are you seeing things more clearly?

There are many activities you can do at home depending on what you want to change.
Listen to what your employees have to say and innovate!
Besides, some solutions are already in place in your company: take note of them!

Remember that for any relevant advice, a serious diagnosis is required to identify the real needs of a company (a qualitative and quantitative mix is ​​ideal).

Ilona Boniwell & Evgeny Osin created it. This first positive diagnosis, Positive Business Profile (c), will soon be available. It will first be launched nationally in partnership with Positive Psychology and will then serve as a benchmark for engagement in today's and tomorrow's businesses!

- Written by Justine Chabane, Psychologist

Bibliographic references :

• Bernaud, JL., Desrumeaux, P., Guedon, D. (2016). Psychology of professional well-being – Concept, models and systems. Paris: Dunod
• Bernaud, JL. (2015). Psychology of support: concepts and tools for developing meaning in life and work. Paris: Dunod
• Boniwell, I. (2012). Introduction to Positive Psychology. Paris: Éditions Payot.
• Boniwell, I., & Chabanne, J. (2017). Positive psychology applied to work. The Journal of Psychologists, (4), 33-36.
• Gaucher, R. (2016). Happiness and Performance in Business. The Keys to Success. Amazon ISBN: 978-1539122130
• Martin-Krumm, C. and Tarquinio, C. (2013). Positive psychology in the professional environment. Paris: de Boeck
• Lecomte, J. (2016). Humanist Enterprises. Paris: Les Arènes
• Marquis, S. (2016, June) We're screwed, we think too much! [Video file] Communication presented at the University of Nantes, Retrieved from the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzvF3OVWgZM