A Tale of Two Companies

How to Build Relationships and Foster Engagement 

Organizations of all types and sizes continue to invest time, energy and money into policies and practices that they hope will foster a culture of engagement. But increasing levels of engagement can be more complex than it may seem. Each organization is different — markets change and strategies vary, as does the makeup of the workforce. Research at TalentMap, a company that helps organizations in North America understand employee engagement, suggests there is no one “right” or “best” way to create an engaged workforce. There are some reoccurring best practices that have a signifi cant impact on employee engagement, however.

According to Angela Finlay, Director of Human Resources at Geosoft, a software and solutions company that focus on sharing geographic data, “It’s all about relationships, and in particular the relationship between the employee and his or her manager.” She claims that Geosoft’s executives understand this important dynamic and invest time and money to ensure their managers are properly trained. Three times each year Geosoft managers are put through a variety of skill-building modules that, in the end, enable them to build stronger relationships with their people. Some of the training at Geosoft includes: