Are action plans following engagement surveys just an illusion of progress?
Exasperated by current staffing and financial challenges, a friend who is a top executive at a major health system seemed uncharacteristically discouraged in a recent conversation. He admitted that their employee engagement, retention, and morale were at all-time lows. He also reluctantly confessed that he didn’t see a clear path out of the current morass. Looking for a bright spot, he quickly shared, “But managers are doing action plans with employee engagement strategies right now to try to turn things around.” Since we were both being open and candid with one another, I asked, “Have you really found those action plans to be effective?” Without hesitation, he admitted, “No, you’re right. We usually check off the box that they’re done, then they go on the