Your human resources are your financial ones too (page 2 of 2)

The "Detached" will drop out over a period of time. It is important to check, however, whether the percentage of "Detached" is as per the norms within the industry or the region.

Having understood the degree of Commitment of your employees, as well as their profile, it is critical to diagnose the reasons why. Why is my Commitment index low or high? How can I stall my Critics from becoming Detached? Here one needs an indepth understanding of the drivers of Commitment and the performance ratings on these criteria among all the employee sub-groups. Such analyses will provide invaluable material for future action.

MANAGING

Whenever gaps in the desired level of performance are identified, a change programme is needed to initiate corrective action. For example, an analysis of responses might indicate that the work environment is not totally conducive to efficiency. Or employees might not see a clear career path in front of them and hence lack long term commitment. Or it could merely be a question of benefits and remuneration scales.

Whatever, a strategy can then be worked out. With a scientifically based priority list.

MONITORING

Once a change programme is in place, regular checks are needed to ensure that objectives are being met. And needless to say, the more consistent the process, the more meaningful the exercise and the ultimate results.

In summary then, it is one long chain - from Employee Commitment, to Customer Retention, to Company Profitability. The starting point, and more importantly, the core, is always the employee. And more so today when there is very little differentiation between products and services. It is the human face behind the product or service which often makes the difference. For example, there is very little difference between two competing airlines on the quality of inflight entertainment or food. The difference between the two is often based on whether the food is offered with a smile. And that smile has a direct correlation with the Commitment Index of the cabin staff.

To put it another way: the 3 M's of Measuring, Managing and Monitoring Employee Commitment are intrinsically linked to another 3 M's i.e. Making More Money. And that, of course, brings us to TNS's own 3M's - TRI*M™ - our unique stakeholder management tool.