Participants in a recent Think Tank sponsored by the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement (Forum) discussed a number of ways to deal with a disengaged workforce and other people management challenges as the economy struggles to come out of the recession.

“Many companies are still downsizing their workforce, a workforce which is already feeling the effects of recession-heavy workloads, little to no recognition for a job well done, and the ever-present fear of losing their job,” according to Forum president Michelle M. Smith. “These effects combine to form a less-than-engaged workforce – an environment that companies can ill-afford. One of our challenges is to help organizations keep their top talent and strengthen the relationship between employer and employee to be better positioned for the future.”

According to the Think Tank’s principal speakers – Michael Lee Stallard and Jason Pankau, authors of Fired Up or Burned Out – employers who foster an environment of employee engagement in their companies discover those employees are 20 percent more productive than the ones who “just show up.” Engagement, however, can often require a cultural shift for many companies. “That’s where leadership comes in,” said Stallard. “Front line employees often have great ideas about making things better. They often have a better handle on competitive intelligence. The challenge for corporate leadership, then, is to create a culture where that knowledge can perk up rapidly through the organization and not run into ‘knowledge blocks’ – often created as a result of mid-level internal politics.”

An effective way to create the necessary cultural shift is by developing and fostering connections and relationships within all levels of an organization. Stallard and Pankau define connections as “a bond based on shared identity, empathy, and understanding that moves self-centered individuals toward group-centered membership.” Once internal connections are in place among corporate leadership and employees, then improved connections can be made with customers – leading to increased success in the marketplace.”

For more information about the Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement and its many research projects and initiatives, go to www.performanceforum.org.