Ten Do's and Don'ts for a Zombie-Free Community

No one wants to work with a zombie. But it seems that zombies are prevalent in the corridors of many companies around the world.

‍

Well, not actual zombies, but employees who are disengaged and dispassionate about the missions of their companies. And the results for can be devastating. In our current knowledge economy, ignoring employee engagement is extremely costly.

‍

It's a well known fact that organizations with high engagement perform far better than those with low engagement. According to Gallup's ongoing report of the American workplace, 70% of employees are actively disengaged at work.

‍

How can we fix this?

‍

Senior leaders need to embrace a more engaging leadership style to tap the potential of their team. "The more management makes an honest and meaningful effort to connect and motivate workers, the more workers will feel connected to the company and its goals." says business application and technology expert Julie Moreland. The trade-off is powerful.

Engaged employees experience 21% higher productivity and 22% higher profitability. Using your Jive community to be more present and lead by example is a great way to ensure your team doesn't resemble a scene from the Walking Dead. And it can start with small but important things like enhancing your current workflows and more effectively communicating to ensure you're not part of the dreaded 70%.

Here are some basic do's and don'ts to drive engagement in your community:

1. Don't overwhelm your team by trying to fix everything at once.
2. Do start small by picking a particular workflow or area that needs help in your department, then attacking it. Then analyze what are you and your team doing today (inside or outside of Jive) that's hurting your productivity.
3. Don't adopt the "build it and they will come" mentality.
4. Do set clear guidelines for what's expected in the group, and develop a content calendar to keep the group current.
5. Don't leave your team hanging.
6. Do actively participate in your group and reward your power users by showcasing their work. Shine light on their content, activity, and specific scenarios where they help to increase efficiency or productivity for the team.
7. Don't criticize group members for not using the community.
8. Do lead by example and providing consistent, valuable, workable ways your group can fit into their current day-to-day tasks.
9. Don't forget about metrics!
10. Do visit the Reports tab in your groups or spaces to set benchmarks for metrics and revisit them often.

As you continue to evaluate your community activity, continue to develop new, innovative ways you can use your Jive community not only to boost engagement, but also increase your team's productivity.

How are you engaging your colleagues in your Jive community?

Cue zombies in 3...2...1...

This great infographic is from our friends over at OfficeVibe, and it's too good not to share!