First the Global Financial Crisis...and now Swine Flu. Now I understand the quote "Cursed is he/she who lives in interesting times".
The danger is that these events can distract us from the fundamentals. I just spoke to over 40 CEOs and HR managers in Singapore and said that the fundamentals of employee engagement havent changed - although the priorities have shifted.
Recent research (March 09) done by Gostick and Elton (The Carrot Principle guys) shows that the top three things that employees crave now are (1) an organisation that gives them an opportunity for growth and is concerned about their well-being (2) trust and (3) pride in the organisation they work for.
When you think of the images of CEOs of former blue-chip corporations being walked out of courtrooms in handcuffs, numbers (2) and (3) make a lot of sense.
Awareness of this means that smart organisations will bend over backwards to communicate to their staff that they 'get it'...and they will set in place processes that show they are serious.
Otherwise, when the recovery comes, you best staff could well be wrking for the competition.

Labels: Engagement in Crisis Times