Wanted: Motivated employees who whistle while they work

Hiring engaged and self-motivated new employees is often the intangible ingredient that eludes managers in the selection process, but is critical for organizations that are simultaneously increasing their workforces and accelerating their growth.

A new study by Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resources consulting firm, concluded that there is a combination of six personal characteristics can predict a candidate’s potential to be engaged, differentiating the candidates who look good in the interview from those who will actually excel on the job.

How does engagement impact the bottom line? While engaged employees are proactive and have pride and ownership in their job, disengaged employees take less initiative and offer a significantly lower contribution than their engaged counterparts. Their reduced commitment to the job and the organization will lead to faster turnover-which means increased hiring costs for the company and a reduction in productivity.

Measuring and selecting an engaged candidate is like hiring the caterpillar who turns into a butterfly-not the moth who eats away the fabric of your organization, Doug Reynolds, Vice President, Assessment Technology, DDI says.

Hiring for engagement
Job interviews generally place a high priority on experience and skills and a candidate’s motivation is often overlooked. In a hiring study conducted by DDI in 2004, 44 percent of managers surveyed said their most significant hiring surprise was that the candidate’s personality in the interview differed from what they are actually like on the job.

To reduce the number of hiring surprises-especially those linked to personality-DDI advises that companies take a closer look at a candidate’s potential for engagement to predict what they’ll be like on the job. DDI conducted a study of 3,800 employees from seven organizations spanning a variety of industries and roles, and identified six personal characteristics that, when combined, will predict a candidate’s likelihood to be an engaged contributor.

The characteristics-which can be measured in pre-employment tests-include traits that are attractive in any candidate-adaptability, passion for work, emotional maturity, positive disposition, self-efficacy and achievement orientation. Candidates with a combination of these characteristics are 14 times more likely to be highly engaged employees.

Looking at this set of characteristics lets the hiring manager see a whole new dimension-like using 3D glasses, they can see a side of the candidate that wasn’t being assessed before this, Reynolds says.

The buzz around engagement
Why such a focus on a single aspect of hiring? A cache of engaged employees stacks the deck in the company’s favor, since engaged individuals are willing to put discretionary effort into their job. Engagement is a holy grail for managers, Reynolds says. Engaged employees contribute to stronger revenue growth, increased customer satisfaction and reduced turnover.

In fact, engagement is one quality that is critical across all industries and job roles, whether they are a manager or entry level, working in an office or a restaurant-

engagement also increases sales performance, teamwork and customer service quality, making it a desirable trait for all managers and business owners.

But engagement only begins in the hiring process. Once the employee is on the job, the boss has a lot to do with maintaining and increasing an individual’s level of engagement. DDI’s research also found that employees with engaged supervisors were more engaged, and were almost 20 percent less likely to leave the organization within a year. Leader engagement has a cascading effect on employee engagement, Reynolds said. This demonstrates the important role the boss plays in an individual’s level of engagement and their happiness in the organization.