Are Your Employees Going In The Same Direction?

Top Workplaces are made up of employees who believe in the direction set by senior leadership. But getting direction right can be challenging. That’s because it requires an authentic belief, a smart strategy, and regular communication.

While human resources can champion direction, senior leadership bears the responsibility to drive — and be accountable for — the chosen path. When done right, employees who believe in the direction of your organization will invest more of themselves in their work because they know it will make a difference.

Our research shows only 58% of employees at average organizations responded positively when asked if they felt their organization was going in the right direction. But at Top Workplaces, this jumps as high as 95%.

If you wonder whether your organization is headed in the right direction, here are some warning signs to consider:

• Senior leaders believe they communicate about direction more than they actually do.
• Communication falls apart between senior leaders and managers.
• Leaders expect human resources to be the driver of direction.
• Lack of direction places the organization in a reactive mode.

Long term, consider these big picture plans:

• Make time to create a clear, concise, and memorable direction statement.
• Schedule time with senior leaders to make sure actions align with direction.
• Encourage managers to emphasize each team’s role and the vital part it plays in the organization’s direction as a whole.

In the meantime, here are some quick fixes

• Make your organization’s direction visible throughout the workspace. Post it in meeting rooms, common areas, etc.
• Share stories and examples of company direction in action.
• Reinforce company direction in all communication.

Bob Helbig is media partnerships director at Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm that surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 7,000 organizations in 2019. Energage is The Washington Post’s research partner for Top Workplaces.