Philips, a multinational business and one of the largest electronics companies in the world, employs over 122,000 people in more than 60 countries. Philips was named by Forbes one of the top 25 companies for work-life balance.
In an interview for SmartBrief, Dana Stocks, chief human resources officer, talked about employee recruitment and engagement. His comments apply equally to businesses large and small.
Five Tips on Employee Engagement From A Global Business
Encourage Employees to be Passionate About Their Work
Philips encourages passion in the workplace by ensuring passionate individuals grow within the company. When a position becomes open, “we look internally first, encouraging employees to apply for new roles reflecting their current passions, interests and skill sets.”
Philips also respects its employees’ need for a healthy work-life balance. “If our employees are happy and engaged outside of the office, that passion will manifest itself in their work.”
Measure Employee Engagement
Philips measures engagement through the use of a biannual employee engagement survey. Employees are asked to provide feedback on what the company is doing right “and where we are going wrong.” After that, Stocks says, “we ‘deep dive’ into data in order to initiate dialogues and target action plans to drive retention.” The process doesn’t rely solely on “feelings,” but also addresses actions of engagement.
Embrace Flexible Work Arrangements
“In areas where set schedules of roles aren’t critical, Philips embraces flexibility,” Stocks says. An example is the introduction of a concept “where work stations are unassigned, and there are more employees than desks in a given ‘neighborhood.’” This approach boosts collaboration and supports employees wishing to work from home up to three days per week.
Implement a Comprehensive Performance Evaluation Process
Philips conducts “performance and development dialogues” as a year-round priority. The process includes two formal annual milestones: a midyear development check-in and an end-of-the-year performance review. Both milestones focus on manager-to-employee dialogues “and all conclusions from these meetings are registered online.”
Passion: A Key Element Sought in Hiring
“While technical competencies are always table stakes for a strong hire and top-performing companies,” Stocks notes, “we believe our passion for improving lives … is what sets us apart.” Stocks and his HR colleagues seek a similar passion in new hires—“whether it is entirely work-related or something they are fanatical about outside of work that bleeds into their energy and productivity on the job.”
Passion can’t be taught, Stocks says, “but it is the ingredient that keeps all our people giving their best every day.”
How do you encourage passion both among new hires and veteran employees?
