Many organizations today are focus on enhancing levels of employee engagement - with good reason.

1. help
The frustrated
employee:
help you
me
Many organizations today are focused on enhancing levels of employee
engagement – with good reason >>
In the rapidly changing environments most organizations However, many firms that enjoy high levels of employee
now face, where roles and responsibilities are continually engagement nonetheless struggle with performance. In
evolving, organizations depend on employees to act these environments, employees are energized by goals and
independently in ways consistent with their cultures, objectives and are eager to help their employers succeed.
objectives and values. And faced with a challenging global But they themselves often indicate that they do not feel as
economic climate, many organizations are needing to do productive as they could be. Engaging employees alone, while
more with less, making the discretionary effort of employees clearly important, is not sufficient to sustain maximum levels
willing to ‘go the extra mile’ all the more important. of individual and team effectiveness over time.
©2012 Hay Group. All rights reserved

2. The frustrated employee: help me help you
The frustrated employee:
help me help you
Faced with a challenging global economic climate, organizations
need to do more with less, making the discretionary effort of
employees willing to ‘go the extra mile’ all the more important.
What’s the missing piece? To borrow a line for the better eventually. But waiting for that
from the movie Jerry Maguire, engaged time to come is very challenging. I’m almost
employees seem often to be saying to their ready to throw in the towel.”
leaders, “help me help you.” In other words,
put us in roles that leverage our skills and This comment is reflective of themes that
abilities and allow us to do what we do best. are common in many of our clients. This
individual is committed to his or her job
Give us the tools, technology, information, and anxious to make a positive contribution.
support, and other resources we need to
be effective. However, the lack of support from the
organization and its leadership makes success
And, finally, get out of our way. Don’t dilute hard to achieve. While still committed
our focus and consume our energy with tasks now, there are ominous signs of potential
that don’t add value. And don’t introduce disengagement or turnover in the future.
procedural barriers that will interfere with
our ability to get things done. Our research points to the fact that frustrated
employees are unlikely to persist over
Most organizations today employ a sizeable the long term in this state. Where strong
number of people who are hindered at work. motivation to succeed is not paired with
similar levels of support for success, one of
These individuals are aligned with corporate three things is likely to happen.
goals and objectives and are enthusiastic
about making a difference – but they are Some engaged employees may certainly,
held back by roles that do not suit them through force of effort, find ways to break
and work environments that get in their way. through the barriers presented by low level
These ‘frustrated employees’ represent a lost support and upgrade the work arrangements
opportunity as commendably high levels of to match their motivational levels. But other
motivation are not being translated into high frustrated employees may find equilibrium
productivity, undermining the impact of by reducing their motivation to match their
employee satisfaction programs. limited opportunities to succeed. That is,
some engaged employees, weary of beating
Frustration as an overlooked problem their heads against a wall, simply decide that
in the work environment giving their best effort is not worth their
Research from Hay Group indicates that time and stop trying. Still other frustrated
in organizations today frustrated employees employees can be expected to vote with their
may represent 20 per cent or more of feet and leave in search of greener pastures
the total workforce. Below is a verbatim where their strong motivation to succeed can
comment from one of these employees, be matched with more supportive working
drawn from a recent Hay Group Insight conditions, leading to an unfortunate drain
employee opinion survey: of an organization’s best and brightest talent.
“ I need support, and my manager and his Unfortunately, organizations are generally
boss are not doing their best to provide it. poorly positioned to identify and respond
I am inundated with work, and I end up to the concerns of frustrated employees.
staying here late each night. I believe in the Insofar as employee surveys have traditionally
company and think we are one of the good focused on employee motivation (e.g.
guys in the industry. I like my job despite satisfaction, commitment, engagement),
this situation and I think things will change survey findings often fail to highlight issues
©2012 Hay Group. All rights reserved

3. related to the supportiveness of work environments. And An organization may be able to succeed by force of the will
frustrated employees may be reluctant to voice their concerns of motivated employees in the short term, but sustained
in other ways. As they are typically highly committed to their performance is only built on adequate support for success.
employers and their jobs, frustrated employees may not want Consider a case study example. For a major UK retailer, we
to complain – and those who do may be unlikely to press the compared employee engagement and support for success
point if work arrangements are presented as intractable. across approximately 500 stores with store-level measures of
customer satisfaction and fiscal year revenue against target,
Addressing frustration at work: collected at two different points in time.
providing adequate support for success
To get the most from engaged employees, organizations must Employee engagement and support for success were both
position them to channel their extra efforts productively. associated with better customer and financial outcomes –
That is, motivation to contribute has to be matched with the but six months later, support for success was a much stronger
ability to contribute. In our view, support for success (the predictor of performance.
ability of engaged individuals and teams to make maximum
What’s needed to ensure that motivated employees have
contributions) has two key components. The first, personal
the support they need to be optimally effective in their jobs?
utilization, requires that employees are effectively matched to
While requirements vary by industry and context,
their roles, such that their skills and abilities are put to best
our research points to four common support drivers.
use. In deploying talent, leaders need to consider not only
the requirements of the job and an employee’s ability to meet 1. erformance management. Clarity on personal goals
P
them, but also the extent to which the job will draw upon and priorities enables performance by allowing employees
the employee’s distinctive competencies and aptitudes and to focus on essential, value-added tasks. Likewise, by
fully stretch them. continually ‘raising the bar,’ ongoing feedback about
performance helps ensure that employees are using their
The second component, an enabling environment, involves
full capability.
structuring work arrangements such that they facilitate,
rather than hinder, individual productivity. In an enabling 2. uthority and empowerment. Where employees have
A
environment, employees are supported by processes, appropriate autonomy and discretion, they are better able
procedures, and resources (e.g. information, technology, to structure their working patterns to suit the way they
tools and equipment, and finance) that help get the job work best. And, by managing how they work, employees
done. They are able to focus on their most important are more likely to find opportunities to leverage their skills
accountabilities without having to work around obstacles and abilities fully in their job roles.
in the form of non-essential tasks or procedural red tape.
“ I need support, and my manager and his boss are not
doing their best to provide it. I am inundated with work,
and I end up staying here late each night. I believe in the
company and think we are one of the good guys in the
industry. I like my job despite this situation and I think
things will change for the better eventually. But waiting
for that time to come is very challenging. I’m almost
”
ready to throw in the towel.

4. The frustrated employee: help me help you
3. vailability of resources. An enabling environment
A It is critical that organizations identify and respond to the
requires that employees have the information and resources drivers of support for success together with the drivers of
(e.g. tools, equipment, supplies) needed to do their jobs engagement.
effectively. And, where employees are being asked to work
hard, they understandably want to feel that they 4. anagerial development programs need to address
M
are working smart as well. key aspects of the work environment that are creating
frustration. In particular, managers should be encouraged
4. raining. In an enabling environment, employees are
T to treat managing employee performance as a continual
provided with job-related training to ensure they have dialogue rather than an annual event. Managers who
the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out key tasks regularly discuss performance objectives with their
and deal effectively with internal and external customers. employees are not only in a position to provide timely
Appropriate training, which can turn potential into feedback but also to stay attuned to factors in the work
productivity, is also essential to ensure that organizations environment that may be inhibiting employees’ success.
get the most from the abilities of their employees.
5. eaders should identify broader organizational
L
Diffusing employee frustration: programs and initiatives which are out of alignment
recommendations with key support drivers. In evaluating training
While the drivers of employee engagement tend to reflect budgets, systems for fostering communication between
issues traditionally associated with leadership, factors departments, or succession planning processes, leaders
providing support for success relate directly to the quality would be wise to consider the implications for fostering
of management in the organization. high levels of personal utilization and creating enabling
work environments.
Unfortunately, recovering from an undue focus on
management early on, the pendulum has swung in more Conclusion
recent years to an equally excessive focus on leadership Organizations that focus exclusively on employee
in executive assessment and development programs. engagement are likely to be disappointed by the extent
Many have overlooked the importance of solid management, to which improvements in engagement translate into
as a foundation to effective leadership, for the success of enhanced performance. For companies seeking to maximize
an organization. individual and team contributions, we believe that engagement
is not enough.
We offer five recommendations for reducing frustration
in the work environment. From a productivity standpoint, the commitment and
discretionary effort offered by engaged employees can easily
1. eaders must recognize that a lack of support for
L be squandered if leaders are not careful to position employees
employees is a significant business issue. In an in roles that use their potential and to provide them with the
environment where most organizations are straining to workplace supports they need to carry out their responsibilities.
do more with less, frustrated employees represent a massive Organizations need to build the dual notions of employee
lost opportunity: you are leaving productivity on the table engagement and support for success into their employee
and alienating your most effective staff. feedback and survey programs, their operating practices, and
2. rganizations should undertake strategic workforce
O
their leadership and management development programs to
reviews to determine where support may be
increase employee performance and business success.
particularly important and/or likely to be lacking.
Identifying support gaps is an obvious strategy for
more effectively leveraging employee motivation. But
it’s also important for leaders to consider where the How Hay Group can help
support component of employee effectiveness may be
especially vital. High turnover roles are one example. Hay Group’s Employee Effectiveness Survey
When employees leave, they take their engagement with is powerful, online, employee survey tool
them – but supportive work environments remain as an
that helps you to cost effectively measure
organizational asset.
and analyze the levels of engagement and
3. upport levels experienced by employees should be
S enablement of your employees.
monitored on an ongoing basis to give the frustrated
employee a voice. Engagement surveys, focused on
motivational outcomes, generally will not measure aspects
of the work environment critical to enabling contributions
from motivated employees. The old saying is that what gets
measured gets managed. But the corollary is equally true:
what is not measured will not be acted upon.
To find out more please visit:
www.atrium.haygroup.com
©2012 Hay Group. All rights reserved