Welcome to this week’s Discuss HR, the HR blog written for and by members of Human Resources UK.
This week we welcome back Susan Popoola who has written an excellent post about employee engagement. Being a rather vocal person I know I am not the subject of Susan’s example, but I can say for sure that I have learnt from it to pipe down and let others pipe up! (Ed Scrivener)
The One in the Corner
Employee engagement and indeed the need for it is nothing new – even though we might not have always used the phrase as we increasingly do over the last few years. It is however great that we do recognise it’s importance as it’s only when employees are engaged that we attain the best from them. We talk about engaging employees in general terms and we also talk about engaging people from different backgrounds, but there is a group that I believe that we are often forget about – that it group represented by the people that I will refer to on an individual basis as “The One in the Corner”
Everyone is aware of those great employees that are very quick to put themselves forward for projects and are quick to give their input or provide an opinion during meetings. But what about the one that sits quietly in the corner i.e. the one that rarely puts himself/herself forward unless asked directly and is very slow to offer an opinion or provide input.
I met one such person recently - I’ll call him James. James had gone away to University at Princeton in the States. Without meaning to be elitist, this is an indication in itself that he had something to offer. Coming back to the UK he had obtained a job at one of top consultancies. It sounds great, but he had struggled.
James was quiet spoken and shy and during his first project with the organisation he had sat in meetings saying very little. He explained to me that he spent a lot of time thinking things through and digesting them before speaking. This was enhanced by the fact that he was new to the environment and didn’t want to appear stupid. When he did speak he didn’t feel as if people took much notice of what he had to say and so he drew back the more saying even less. His project lead was not pleased. He did not see him as a team player and questioned the value that he brought to the team. James didn’t say it, but through the conversation I had with him, I recognised that even outside of meetings he did not put himself forward – he just put his head down and did what he was asked to – nothing more. So maybe really and truly he wasn’t a team player?
The only thing is as James was talking – he brightened up as he mentioned the project he was now working on. The difference in his countenance wasn’t due to the project - he had a new project manager. She recognised that he was quiet during meetings. She spoke to him quietly one day telling him that she recognised that he didn’t speak very much, but when he did, what he said was very intelligent and useful. Encouraged and motivated by this he was now contributing more to meetings. Hopefully in time as others recognise the value that he brings he will also feel encouraged to put himself forward and volunteer more as well.
What would have happened if his next manager was like his first project manager. Would he have become totally disengaged, ultimately leaving the organisation or simply not working to his full potential. The thing is people like James do have a responsibility to put themselves forward and contribute. However, managers also have a responsibility to recognise the value of all employees and what they have to offer.
The most appropriate answer or solution to a problem may not always come from the most vocal person in the room. So what are you missing out on by not listening to or drawing out the quite person in the corner of the room?
About the author
Susan has established a successful career as an HR Consultant. Specialising in HR Transformation and Talent Management across the Private, Public & Voluntary sectors.
Susan serves as a Partnership Governor for The Hazeley School where she chairs the Innovation and Partnership Committee. She also serves as a Young Enterprise judge and a Business Ambassador for Countec Education Business Partnership. She is also the published author of Touching the Heart of Milton Keynes: A Social Perspective and the soon to be published book: Consequences: Diverse to Mosaic Britain.
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Discuss HR is the blog for Human Resources UK, the leading LinkedIn group for those involved with HR in the UK. Next week’s Discuss HR will be written by Training Consultant Jill Hart-Sanderson.
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