ICC Says Future of Corporations Depends on Engaged Employees

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Most employees are not fully engaged in their work and this spells trouble for businesses already under greater pressure than ever before to grow, according to Steven Glaser, CEO of ICC.  Part of the challenge is that the makeup of today's workforce is shifting – a younger demographic with different work styles, business requirements and skill sets. To guide HR professionals and others involved in hiring and managing enterprise workforces, ICC, the business and IT solutions company that correctly predicted the 2014 Oscars and designs collaboration solutions for today's workforce, has outlined Four Ways Businesses Must Engage Employees Today to Remain Relevant to the Workforce of Tomorrow.

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"Engaged employees – especially Millennials – are the future of business. But they are not engaged," says Glaser. "This has to change. Without them there will not be anyone to replace Baby Boomers who are beginning to retire en masse."

According to a recent Gallup workforce study, only 30 percent of employees say they are engaged by their jobs and their company. Engaged employees are easy to spot. They put in the extra hours to complete a project they initiated, they are enthusiastic and they interact more with other employees.

To achieve this level of engagement requires companies to understand their employees' goals, provide them with the tools they need to do their jobs well, and give them the resources and opportunities to improve their skills.

How to Engage Your Employees
You can't just turn employees loose in some utopian ideal of the perfect company, companies need to provide pathways for advancement that nurture their best and brightest and provide guidance for less-focused hires, according to Glaser. He outlines four areas for consideration:

1. Change your culture - If your culture isn't open, honest and attuned to employee's needs, people will simply put in time, dreaming of the day they resign.  Every employee wants to be respected and feel rewarded. It's up to the employer to show employees how they can enhance their learning, hone their skills and advance their careers. Millennials -- the majority of employees now entering the workforce -- are not motivated solely by money or perks. Self-development and self-fulfillment are what drive them to achieve.
2. Focus on leadership - When interviewing potential leaders look for a solid work record of performance, but also make sure they will be a solid cultural fit.  Dig down to understand how they think about life and work. Do they really understand engagement -- the attributes of being a leader and mentor?  Do they have the desire to grow as a person? Career growth and personal growth are inextricably linked. You can't ignore one and expect the other to thrive.
3. Provide opportunities for growth - Because of the large manufacturing base that required conformity, for most Baby Boomers work was what they did between weekends. For Millennials, business is personal. The workplace is filling up with a new generation of employees and thirty-something managers with different expectations.  To meet these expectations managers need to stop being bosses and become team leaders and mentors.
4. Give them the tools they want (and need) - The next wave of leaders collaborate. The "It's lonely at the top" mindset of previous generations is an anathema to this group. Millennials have grown up with continuous access to information and, more recently, each other. Ideas, opinions and thoughts flow freely through this generation -- leaping from device to device in a way only dreamed of just a few years ago. This generation sees a flat world. They believe everyone has value and powerful ideas can (and do) come from anywhere. Give this generation the collaborative tools and technology they need and want and turn them loose.

"I cannot emphasize enough how the long term success of any organization depends upon the continued growth of its people," says Glaser. "When they see opportunities for advancement and recognition, they become dedicated to their employer and enthusiastic about their work. They become engaged."

Want to Learn More?

• See what ICC CEO Steven Glaser has to say about Millennials and more at http://bit.ly/1rHWbig
• ICC takes a look at many different technology topics in our Insights page at http://bit.ly/1tgbO2g

About ICC
ICC (Information Control Company), based in Columbus, Ohio, is a leading provider of enterprise technology solutions. With a staff over 500 highly trained consultants, we are experts in Strategy, User Experience, Visual Design, Engineering, Project Management, Business Analytics and Quality Assurance. Using these skills, we develop and deploy innovative, business-critical solutions that enable Fortune 500 and mid-market organizations to improve operational efficiencies. Our Business, Digital and Technology solutions give our clients a competitive advantage that helps them drive revenues and increase margin.

Farsite, the advanced analytics division of ICC, specializes in helping companies use Big Data and predictive analytics to empower smart business decisions, solve their toughest challenges and gain a distinctive competitive advantage. For more information visit www.FarsiteGroup.com.

Clutch is a world-class digital ad agency inside the walls of ICC. Together, they're a collection of seasoned strategists, user experience specialists, writers, art directors and developers who specialize in the art and science of interactive conversations. 

ICC is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and an IBM Premier Business Partner. ICC is committed to serving its clients, community and country by developing U.S.-based leaders who work hard to strengthen the American economy. More information is available at http://www.icctechnology.com.

Media Contacts:
Theresa Hodgson
ICC
[email protected]
614-523-3070 x106
http://www.icctechnology.com/

Rich Mullikin
Communication Strategy Group for ICC
[email protected]
866-997-2424
www.communicationstrategygroup.com

SOURCE Information Control Company