If members of the legal department feel engaged, they will perform better

“More than 100 studies have demonstrated the correlation between employee engagement and business performance. … But only one in four employees, on average, is “engaged.” After that sad finding, strategy + business, Issue 56, Autumn 2009 at 49, continues with a description of the four factors that dominate the drivers of engagement.

“(1) whether employees feel respected, valued and recognized; (2) whether they perceive their job to be important to the success of the enterprise; (3) how much pride they feel about the company and what it stands for; and (4) how much trust and confidence they have in company leadership.”

A general counsel can shower members of the legal department with commendations, single people out for awards, make clear the contribution teams make (driver 1). Less directly, a general counsel can show the importance of a lawyer or paralegals work to the success of the company (driver 2). Only obliquely can a general counsel influence the third and fourth drivers – corporate pride and respect for corporate leadership (See my post of July 13, 2008: employee morale with 15 references.).