So You Want to Hire an Employee Engagement Consultant?

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So You Want to Hire an Employee Engagement Consultant?
What to Know When Thinking Through Vendor Selection

The CEO just left your office. The good news? She is finally showing an interest in employee engagement. The bad news? She is finally showing an interest in employee engagement. If you are like most executive leaders in an HR function, you are already familiar with the concept of employee engagement.

If you are in a large-enough organization, you may even have staff whose job responsibilities include certain employee engagement related activities. However, it is unlikely that you have in-house a top-tier team of employee engagement experts. Perhaps the time has come to hire a consultant.

The purpose of this blog post is not to suggest which employee engagement consultant is right for your business. Instead, my goal is to help you think about what criteria to use when selecting a vendor. There are several dimensions on which employee engagement vendors vary, and on which an individual might select effectively among them. Here are some helpful questions in selecting an employee engagement consultant.

What are you aiming to achieve? For many organizations just getting started in employee engagement services, the list of options and opportunities can be overwhelming. In some cases, undertaking a big new employee engagement project can be more than an organization has the capacity to absorb. I generally recommend that a first foray into employee engagement services emphasize an engagement model and measurement practice that resonates with the organization in its current state. Most large consultancies are happy to discuss how they conceptualize and measure engagement: among those you consider, which feels intuitive and actionable to you?

What gaps do you need filled? Like any vendor relationship, the ideal partnership will deliver across a number of areas, but in the initial selection it’s helpful to think through what resources and expertise you have in house, and what you need to bring in. For example, some engagement vendors specialize in measurement, whereas others shine in follow-on advisory and HR services. Others are best known for robust benchmarking, whereas others have strength in a technology platform. Understanding your gaps ensures you select the vendor who best fills them.

What is your budget? Vendors have a variety of pricing models, and many will work to meet your business needs within a budget if you’re clear about what your needs and budget are. For reference, some vendors price per project, others per employee. The structure depends on the amount of consultant labor required to complete the project, which is almost always in the report-generation phase. Other factors influencing cost are the number of languages the survey and responses are translated to/from, whether a “pulse” follow up is required, whether the vendor is to also manage employee focus groups to collect qualitative data, etc…

Who has the best reputation in your region? Depending upon the size and scope of your business, you may be looking to use this consultancy to help you benchmark your firm against others in the area competing for top talent. If this is a primary consideration, and the above two criteria have already been met, consider which vendor’s stamp of approval is most likely to influence others in your business ecosystem positively.

Of course, the more experienced you become working with employee engagement, the more sophisticated your organization will become internally, so finally consider whether your vendor is truly an employee engagement partner who will learn and grow with your organization.

Did your organization use additional or alternative criteria? Please join the conversation with a comment!