Tag Archives: actively engaged

Actively Engaged Workers Go Above and Beyond Their Job Description

Most people are familiar with the phrase “finding a needle in a haystack.”  Yet, few can actually give an example of a time when they found a tiny object that was feared gone forever due to the quick thinking and positive attitude of an Actively Engaged employee.

Deb Kirby, a resident of Attleboro, Massachusetts, is one of those people after she accidentally threw away five of her favorite rings, including her wedding and engagement bands, last month.  Fortunately, she was reunited with them after Waste Management workers helped her sift through 15 tons of garbage.  What makes this story special is not only did Kirby get back her beloved rings, but the Actively Engaged Waste Management employees who went above and beyond the call of duty to help Kirby did so without thinking twice.

As soon as Kirby determined she had thrown out the rings with paper towels, she called Aaron Smith, who is the district manager of Waste Management and the trash hauler for Attleboro.  Smith was truly touched by Kirby’s story and felt compelled to do everything in his power to try and recover the rings.

After making a handful of telephone calls, Smith figured out that the truck carrying Kirby’s rings was not far from the incinerator.  In the nick of time, he had the truck immediately redirected to a transfer station where the trash bags were unloaded.  Upon narrowing their search to between 100 and 200 bags, eight Waste Management workers and Kirby began to search them.  As soon as one of the workers found Kirby’s jewelry, she became overwhelmed with emotion and immediately hugged him and his co-workers.

Kirby was more than impressed with the Waste Management crew.  “They could have very easily said there’s no way you’re going to find those rings,” Kirby said.  “But they took the extra steps and they made the effort and it paid off.”

This story is a perfect example of how Smith and his engaged colleagues created a satisfied customer who was happy to openly share her experience with others.  Smith and his fellow workers boosted Waste Management’s external brand reputation simply by going above and beyond.  Plus, people who heard this captivating anecdote will now have a more positive association with Waste Management.  Overall, Actively Engaged employees truly care about their job and demonstrate a willingness to go outside of the responsibilities included in their job description to help a customer.

Actively Engaged Employees: Your Organization’s Best Brand Advocates

Companies frequently speak of brand loyalty and their reliance on loyal customers to continually purchase their products and services, resulting in positive word of mouth advocacy.  If consumers are passionate about a product and are committed to using it, they are more likely to recommend it to their family, friends, and co-workers.  While faithful customers serve as important brand promoters, actively engaged employees are also valuable brand advocates for their employer.

According to Avatar HR Solutions’ National Normative Database, 29 percent of employees were categorized as actively engaged in 2011.  Actively engaged employees are committed to their organization and go above and beyond their basic job responsibilities, often doing more than what is asked of them.  Such employees are aware of their own engagement level and are driven to maintain a high level of engagement in the workplace.  As a result, they proudly represent and promote the company’s brand at work and outside the office, serving as informal spokespeople for their employer’s products and services.

Engaged employees are often viewed as very knowledgeable in their industry, so their personal recommendations are extremely effective.  In fact, of 3,295 U.S. consumers surveyed by COLLOQUY in December 2010, slightly more than one out of every four (26 percent) said they are far more likely to spread the word to family, friends and co-workers about a bad experience with a product or service than a good one.  This statistic reveals just how important engaged employees’ word of mouth testimonials can be inside and outside of the workplace.

Organizations should foster a workplace culture of engagement to reap the benefits of brand advocacy and awareness.  To ensure companies are fully utilizing their best brand advocates, they should include actively engaged employees in both product development discussions and marketing/public relations efforts.  For example, if a company asked an actively engaged employee for feedback on how the product could be improved and how it could be marketed to consumers, that employee would be more like to fully embrace, support and promote the product once it becomes a reality. 

Research has found that actively engaged employees are also innovative.  Organizations should give employees “creativity time” to determine new products/services and ask for their ideas to further mold existing products and services.  Such involvement will make actively engaged employees feel valued, broaden their product knowledge, and become brand advocates.

Do you have any brand advocates in your organization?  If so, how are they making a difference?