Employee engagement in consulting can seem like a daunting task. It's about providing a complete solution, but that doesn't mean it should be like pulling teeth. Employee engagement centers on six categories: firm culture, work-life balance, client engagement, career development, firm leadership, and compensation and benefits.
Firm culture is what matters most – how a firm communicates its goals, values, and ethics determines its standards. Today consulting firms are built on collective talent from industry and years spent at other firms. Combining and using that intellectual knowledge can be an effective way of building a strong and long-lasting culture. This is not to say it is easy. It takes time and a sense of direction, but with the right tools in place, it can become a reality.
Work-life balance plays a large role in maintaining the talent and culture of a firm. It is pivotal to reducing turnover and keeping consultants happy and able to balance their lives outside of work. There are many variables to consider – vacation time, flexible working hours, and perks are a few of the things that help employees manage job-related tension and the giant tug-of-war between work and home time.
Client engagement is about how valuable consultants consider their work to be. Consultants tend to better serve their clients (and the firm itself) if they feel their work positively impacts those clients. That, in turn, gives clients the perception that the firm is successful. Setting and communicating goals to consultants will drive career development, as well as inspire and push professionals to work harder and rise to the challenge. Doing so effectively will make consultants want to stay with a firm longer. Do they have access to the training they need? Do they have access to internal positions that are attainable? Does the firm offer rotational programs that allow consultants to change roles to learn more skills? Without properly communicating and establishing goals for growth, employee turnover will rise and top talent will be lost.
Leadership isn't just about being the figurehead of an organization. It's about matching the firm's mission and goals – following through on the things the firm has committed to. Firm leadership is navigating uncharted waters and testing decision-making skills and internal communication. The better a firm's leadership can express confidence, the better the employees will feel about management and the direction, growth, and overall success of the firm.
Compensation and benefits are two of the many variables involved in employee engagement. Those variables play a role in employees' home lives as well. In the last few years, with the financial crisis and the Affordable Care Act putting a lot of costs back on the individual, compensation and benefits are an important and large piece of the pie. Being able recognize when compensation is due is crucial to maintaining talent primarily motivated by money.
Employee Engagement in Consulting 2015 will be published in November 2015.
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