S.I. Syndrome – It’s Becoming an Epidemic in Human Capital

This March I have been privileged to speak at CONEXPO and The Forum on Workplace Inclusion.  One challenge I discussed at both of these conferences was what I call the - Single Indicator (S.I.) Syndrome in many aspects of Human Capital.  There was a lot of strong body language from the audiences confirming this concern.   

S.I. Syndrome happens when organizations literally put ‘all their eggs in one basket’ and only use one data point or measurement of success.  For example, employee engagement is only measured once a year in an employee survey.  D&I is only measured through the demographics of the current workforce and new hires.  Performance Management is only measured through the roll-up of all individual ratings against a suggested ‘distribution targets’.

How can one understand, control, and improve something that is measured only once every 365 days?  What happens if we measure the wrong thing and work on the wrong stuff?  What if people ‘game the process’ to make the one number that leaders are paying attention to?   

Let’s briefly look at ways to break the S.I. Syndrome using employee engagement (commitment, effort, loyalty) as an example.  Instead of only looking at an annual employee opinion survey engagement score why not consider some of the following indicators and create a more complete, holistic picture.  First, things you already may measure but have not consolidated into a scorecard or profile trend:

• Voluntary Attrition.  Corporate Leadership Council research shows engaged employees are 80% more likely to stay than their disengaged counterparts.
• Absenteeism.  Gallup research shows highly engaged employees’ sickness absence was 1.3 times better than disengaged employees
• # Of New Ideas.  Hay research shows engaged employees are a great source for new, creative ideas.
• Social Media Hits.  Example – what your ratio of favorable vs. unfavorable comments on a website like Glassdoor.com

Or, how about some of these common, everyday things:

• Watch What They Wear and Carry. Do employees show pride and willingly wear or carry items with your business name or logo?
• Volunteer.  What are overall commitment and participation levels in recent optional or voluntary events and activities?  
• Meeting Mentality.  Is it just about showing up or actively participating?
• Facial Recognition. Are there significantly more smiles than stares or blank, long faces in your workplace?
• Feel the Emotion.  Are team members laughing and celebrating business successes or treating it like just another day?

Think about it for a minute.  What other key business factor such as financial results, quality, or customer service measures progress and overall success with one indicator or metric?  None!  So, reprioritize the value of your organization’s Human Capital by measuring it holistically, formally and informally, and frequently. Avoid the S.I. Syndrome.