Share the power by Stefan Stern What does employee engagement look like in practice? John Smythe, from the Engage for Change Consul­ tancy, offers t w o s i t u a t i o n s t o s i llustrate i t . Imagine t w o d i fferent employees, cal led Ruby and Gerald ine , who work for different businesses. I n the first s i tuat ion, Ruby is i n v i ted to 00 attend a morn ing meeting t i t l ed "Help our recovery". "The invitation states that all parts of the company have performed badly, and that its parent company is 00 unable to provide more cash for investment. It says that fast action must be taken to stabi I ise the situation," M r Smythe explains. "But i t also says there are no secret plans 00 for extreme action. It says: 'We want to communicate openly. We also want you and yolll· colleagues to take ownership with management to solve the crisis, recognising that unpleasant 0s options wi l l have to be on the table."' Ruby is both concerned and flat­ tered. She arrives at the meeting fee l i ng l i ke a player rather than a spectator. 00 A two-month timetable is laid out in which she and her col leagues are invited to use their knowledge to find achievable cost savings without damaging key business areas. 00 In this process, Mr Smythe says. there are t h ree good quest ions employees can be asked. What would they do if they: • had a free hand in their day job? 00 • were a director of the company? • had to propose important changes? In this way. employees can feel part of the decisions that are necessary. They don't become dcmotivated. 00 The alternative scenario. which concerns Geraldine. is less appealing. She is also i n v ited to a meeting described as a '"cascade briefing". R u mours have been spre a d i n g , so d i rectors arc hard t o find, and there has been hardly any communication from the company. "At the 'cascade · , her fears are confirmed when, in a PowerPoint 00 presentation, the full extent of the terr ib le state of t h e b u s i ness i s revealed for the first t i me," Mr Smythe says. "Detailed manage- ment plans for restructuring and ril efficiencies are revealed. The focus is all on reduction, with no hint of new busi ness opport u n it ies. Geraldine feels less I ike a spectator and more l ike a v ic t im. To varying degrees, 00 her col leagues leave the meeting in shock." "When have you felt most engaged and most valued and in a successful project or period at work?" he asks. 00 "Absolutely none o f us is going t o report t h a t i t was more l i k e Geraldine's experience."