--- title: "Monday Buzz: Employee Engagement Starts at the Top" id: "38691" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-employee-engagement-starts-at-the-top" published_at: "2017-06-26T21:11:14+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T19:48:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/06/26/monday-buzz-employee-engagement-starts-at-the-top/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/06/26/monday-buzz-employee-engagement-starts-at-the-top.md" excerpt: "Don't look to employees to fix a flailing company culture. It's up to leaders to make changes. Also: How to send an email that your members will want to read." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "employee engagement" - "Leadership" - "Marketing" - "Organizational Culture" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "Manager" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Employee Engagement Starts at the Top Is employee engagement suffering in your organization? Your association can’t achieve its goals if your staff are dragging themselves into work every day. Jill Christensen, an employee engagement expert, spoke at last week’s Digital Workplace Experience conference, and she directed a few harsh words to executives who employ incompetent managers: Fire them. “It’s on senior leaders to get this right, not employees,” writes Dom Nicastro in a [conference recap post for CMSWire (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/only-senior-leaders-can-solve-employee-disengagement/) . “Employees want to be engaged and inspired. But they don’t have the workplace environments to do so.” To create a better culture for your employees, leaders need to start with making a more personal connection with employees and exhibiting a confident and trustworthy demeanor. Christensen recommends seeking feedback from employees and making changes accordingly. “At the end of the day, you have to meet basic human needs just like water and air,” she said. “Their individual values need to align with company values.” ### Excelling at Email > “How to Write Email Newsletters People Want to Open and Act On” [#associations (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/associations?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#publishing (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/publishing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/qoION0EuPt (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/qoION0EuPt) > > — Kim Howard, CAE (@kimhowardsc) [June 26, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kimhowardsc/status/879305217740861440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **We all know the frustration of sending emails** to members that get low open and click-through rates. How can you get more eyes on your emails? The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) shares advice for [creating a must-read email program (opens in a new tab)](http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/06/how-write-email-newsletters/) . One mistake many associations make is thinking that they have to send email at a certain time—be that once per day or once per week. But there’s no need to hold your group to a strict schedule. You should send email “only when you have something worth saying,” CMI says. Also, try keeping your emails focused on one topic. “Don’t pack your emails with so much content that subscribers have to work to establish whether they contain anything relevant to their needs or interests,” writes Sujan Patel. ### Other Links of Note **Infographic of the Day:** *BizTech Magazine* illustrates ways to [protect your organization from mobile vulnerabilities (opens in a new tab)](https://biztechmagazine.com/article/2017/06/how-your-business-can-deploy-comprehensive-endpoint-security-infographic) . **How are you thinking about the future?** *Strategy+Business* [shares two simple frameworks (opens in a new tab)](https://www.strategy-business.com/blog/Two-Simple-Concepts-for-Thinking-about-the-Future) to use for a more productive future. **Don’t just think about mobile as a way to passively absorb media.** Buffer shares 26 apps to use on your smartphone to [create engaging social media content (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.bufferapp.com/mobile-marketing-studio) for your members. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#employee engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-engagement/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#Marketing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/marketing/) [#Organizational Culture](https://associationsnow.com/tag/organizational-culture/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoInvesting in Well-being: The Strategic Advantage of Mental Health Support in the WorkplaceJune 23, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/23/investing-in-well-being-the-strategic-advantage-of-mental-health-support-in-the-workplace/) - [VideoRecap from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 19, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/19/recap-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoDaily Recap: Day 1 from the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/daily-recap-day-1-from-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F06%2F26%2Fmonday-buzz-employee-engagement-starts-at-the-top%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !