An engaged workforce has a direct and significant impact on organizational performance. Employees who are invested in their company's success are more motivated to perform at a high level, more likely to promote their company's brand, and are more inclined to stay in their jobs.1 A 2007–2008 study found a difference of more than 5% in operating margin and 3% in net profit margin between the companies with high employee engagement and those with low engagement, over a three-year period.2
In 2010, HP made employee engagement a top priority. We have initiated or reinvested in programs that drive employee engagement and support our business goals, including:
Recognition programs
Appreciating employees' efforts and achievements at all levels has always been important at HP. In 2010, we continued to acknowledge employee accomplishments through Recognition @ HP, a program that promotes a culture of appreciation and supports high performance through ongoing recognition, particularly in the areas of leadership, innovative thinking, and service excellence. Formal awards programs exist within each of the HP businesses, along with initiatives that encourage day-to-day and peer recognition.
Employee forums and networks
Our employees exchange ideas and views, and collaborate through a variety of online and in-person forums. Many employees maintain or contribute to company blogs or help build the internal HP wiki, HPedia.
In addition, HP sponsors employee networks and other groups that meet regularly and in person.
- HP Sustainability Network As of October 31, 2010, the HP Sustainability Network included 29 chapters worldwide with more than 10,000 members total. The network helps employees learn about and share environmental practices that can benefit the company and the planet. For more information, see Employees and global citizenship.
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Our ERGs help to enrich a diverse and inclusive culture at HP by bringing together employees with common interests and backgrounds. HP has 113 ERGs worldwide, representing aspects of diversity including gender, ethnicity or national origin, sexual orientation, age, and disability. See more information about HP's diversity and inclusion programs.
- Wellness Ambassador Network More than 100 Global Wellness Ambassadors promote HP wellness initiatives locally and help connect HP employees to our programs. They plan on-site, specific events and work with local company leadership to integrate health, financial, physical, stress management, and other well-being strategies into daily employee routines and special activities. Wellness ambassadors meet in person with other ambassadors at their location to plan site-specific events and also meet virtually as an entire group to share best practices from site to site. Read more about HP's wellness programs.
Employee feedback
Open, honest dialogue is crucial to HP's long-term success. Communications about HP's business and strategy help establish a shared set of goals and priorities throughout the company and give employees the power to influence future business decisions.
We ask our employees for feedback through the annual Voice of the Workforce (VoW) global survey, as well as through regular "pulse" surveys on specific issues.
In addition, employees can ask questions of HP leaders and review answers to commonly asked questions through the HP intranet "Top of Mind" feature and ongoing all-employee meetings and town halls.
In 2010, HP president and chief executive officer, Léo Apotheker met employees by going on an extensive Global Listening Tour. Mr. Apotheker traveled to several HP sites around the world to visit with employees, hear their insights, and listen to their ideas on how to strengthen HP.
Voice of the Workforce survey
Our annual VoW employee survey helps us assess employee perceptions of HP and enables our leaders to identify opportunities for improvement in their organizations. The survey asks employees for feedback on their team, manager, work environment, and organization, as well as key topics impacting their own job performance and perceptions of senior leaders and the company overall.
In 2010, more than 75% of employees participated confidentially in the VoW survey, available online in 26 languages.
Our CEO, Executive Council, and management analyzed the results and read employees' anonymous written comments in order to:
- Evaluate current year results and historical comparisons.
- Understand significant differences in employee perceptions across businesses, functions, job families, regions, and recently acquired companies.
- Compare HP with benchmarks for the information technology industry.
Senior managers assessed the data to gauge progress and identify company-wide issues requiring further attention. We then set targets at the business-group level and all managers with eight or more responses reviewed their own team results and action plans with employees at the workgroup level.
In 2010, we paid special attention to responses from former 3Com employees compared with HP results. This analysis helps us improve communications, training, and on-boarding processes for all acquisitions.
We conducted several additional surveys this year, including:
- Pulse surveys, as a follow-up to the annual VoW survey. These surveys identify trends and gauge any changes in employee perception.
- Business/account surveys, to seek feedback from a targeted group on specific programs or issues.
- Employee transition surveys, to capture feedback from employees from newly acquired companies within their first 45 days at HP.
- Employee on-boarding surveys, to capture feedback from new employees at six months and again at twelve months after they join HP.
On-boarding for 3Com and Palm employees
In 2010, we welcomed more than 7,000 employees through the acquisitions of Palm and 3Com. During our on-boarding process, we engage local leaders and HR within each region to ensure a high percentage of those employees choose to remain with HP.
In addition, HP helps new managers and employees transition to HP with welcome events and orientation sessions, buddy programs, and training sessions on topics such as IT systems, HP products and services, and HP Standards of Business Conduct.
Retiree engagement
Our nearly 79,000 HP retirees are important ambassadors for HP and we stay connected with them through engagement programs, frequent communications, and events, such as an annual briefing on company strategy, innovation, and highlights from the prior year. The HP retiree community comprises retirees not only from HP, but also of acquired companies that have joined the HP family.
HP's retiree website includes information about benefits, available services, and upcoming events. In addition, HP retirees connect through social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Yahoo Groups. Retirees and alumni can also join the HP Alumni Association (HPAA), which has almost 21,000 registered members worldwide.
Retirees are involved at many HP sites in various capacities. We also organize and sponsor events and encourage retirees to continue to represent HP through community volunteerism. Every year, HP employees and retirees volunteer thousands of hours to support local charities and schools worldwide. (For more information, see Employee volunteerism and giving.)
This past year, our retiree program expanded beyond the United States to 34 additional countries. We also launched a program that engages retirees as brand ambassadors and key advisors.