Partner Engagement: A little on Partner View

Good morning... What can I get for you?

We're gonna get "Partner View" on you today. For as many years as I can remember, there has been some kind of employee satisfaction survey at Starbucks... and for as many years as I can remember... not much has been done with the data. Many months are spent by a group of partners in the SSC preparing to send out some questions that get at the heart of why partners work at Starbucks and how they feel about working there. During those months, there is a lot of puffing up and presenting how great these surveys are and what they can tell and so forth.

Post survey, there's quite a bit of effort on analyzing the data... leaders getting their underpants in a wad at what partners might have said about them... and other leaders figuring out how to deflect the data... some make efforts to at least appear like they're going to take some kind of action.

My question is... after spending millions on these surveys, how has the time and money spent... the money spent on FTEs... contributed to helping the company perform?

Now, I'm not saying that surveys aren't important. They are. They should be used as ONE data point in determining a manager's performance and give the company some insight on developing or enhancing some of the initiatives they're working on. I would encourage the folks that be (the Partner View folks that is) to look at this a different way.

There is some research that suggests that engagement has nothing to do with actual job functionality and performance. That engagement is more of an indicator of what you can expect from employees when the chips are down. Companies lulled into thinking that "it's all good" on a daily basis because of their engagement scores might be looking the other way when it's time for employees to stick it out... and Companies must use their "engagement" cache when it really counts...

So let's use my own department as an example. How did my work group choose to use it's Engagement Score? The senior vice leader decided to cash it in on himself and lose 12+ partners in the last 18 months...

• Two 15+ year partners
• Three 5 year partners
  
• Three 3 year partners
• Six <3>

All gone... All of those partners most likely scored pretty well on engagement... But, how engaged can you be if the attitudes and behaviors of the leader cause you to look elsewhere?

We'll see you tomorrow for a little lighter fare...

...and your usual...

Pat Nerr...