Evaluating the Employee Experience: Retention, Engagement and Culture
Organizational culture. Employee engagement. Talent retention.
Nearly 100 business leaders gathered at Augustana University this week to hear from subject-matter experts on the topic of Evaluating the Employee Experience: Retention, Engagement, and Culture. The panel discussion, hosted by the Oxenham Group, consisted of local thought leaders who passionately shared their depth of knowledge and experience in this area. The panelists were Vaney Hariri of Think 3D Solutions, Wendy Alexander, Talent & Culture Manager at TAK Communication, Inc, and Rana DeBoer, Chief Culture Officer for City of Sioux Falls.
Bill McGuckin, Managing Partner of the Oxenham Group, moderated the panel and kicked it off by asking, “How do you know if you have unleashed your team’s potential?” That was enough to launch a riveting discussion for the next 75 minutes.
“As leaders, we have to create the environment for people to unlock their potential,” said Rana DeBoer.
“We spend more time at work than we do with our families, friends and hobbies – it’s essential to have a workplace in which we can thrive,” said Vaney. Having a strong mission and culture fit amongst your team and the organization was a key topic of the discussion. As we found out from our panelists, this synergy is not only important for employee satisfaction, but also for the success of the company. According to Forbes, highly engaged employees lead to 21% greater profitability.
The panelists emphatically shared that organizations can teach people specific skills to do a job well, but you cannot teach them to have integrity, honesty, or how to be a team player. Attracting people to your team with these deep-seeded values and characteristics will make all the difference.
The panelists then turned their focus to discussing tangible ways to build successful teams.
Wendy Alexander, an assessment expert, encouraged business leaders in attendance to utilize specific tools to help our efforts to hire employees that will be engaged and committed. “I’ve never met an assessment tool that I did not love,” said Wendy. Assessments such as DiSC and StrengthFinder are critical for identifying candidates that complement your team, ultimately driving productivity. “When you can align the personal values and goals of individuals with those of the organization, you have incredible potential to tap into,” shared Rana.
Business leaders at various stages of their careers greatly valued the opportunity to dive into these important topics with the experts on the panel.
“The panelists did an excellent job positively highlighting the gaps within best practices of retention, engagement and culture in the workplace. Curating the thought leadership to guide this conversation for our community is essential,” shared Kate Flemming, Community Manager at the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship in Sioux Falls.