How great would it be if employees drove themselves in a way that continuously edged them on towards higher productivity levels? Going that extra mile – taking initiative with the interest of the business in mind. Seems far-fetched? Not entirely…
Yes, employees exist with exceptionally busy lives outside of their work-life schedules, not to mention families, hobbies, and additional commitments, that give them that zest for life- that exact zest that ensures they get up every morning and do their best for your organization.
Consistency waivers and the human in us all have days where we are not optimized to perform at our best. Personal livelihood and misfortune can affect us all on mundane levels so, how do you manage to get your workers back on track… There has to be some formula, right? What drives a human to strive for success not just for themselves but for that of an organization?
As the term somewhat defines itself – Employees Engagement refers to how committed employees are to the business and its success. It is also encompassed by how motivated they are to complete their work, how closely they relate to the company values, and their willingness to collaborate and work as a team. As you can see, employee engagement is so much more than someone liking their job or not.
Measuring employee engagement can be tough because it’s not something that’s always easy to quantify. Engagement can be an emotion, a state of mind, or a subliminal sense of connection. This is why it’s become equally as important to take the time out to get to know your employees, in turn helping you to understand their needs, and manage their expectations. Through this, you are able to extract the best out of them.
In a likable manner, we’ve listened to some points – simple, yet effective for you to consider;
By providing a platform accessible to your employees to share their experiences it allows you to find out what really drives them to put in 110% of their effort, that way you are also able to learn how to keep them motivated. If you find out that your team’s motivation levels are low, you track important people’s trends over time. This data is key to building an overarching strategy that meets organizational needs. Giving your staff a voice is vital in making them feel like part of the company, and if they know that management cares, and hears their concerns, they will continue to maintain a high level of engagement instead of becoming despondent and disengaged.
One-on-ones allow for more detailed and meaningful employee feedback while letting you gauge non-verbal cues. It’s also a simple and straightforward way to get to know your employees. The effort of making employees feel seen and heard is the key to creating a safe feedback environment. It will also lead to more meaningful answers.
The action surrounding checking in with your staff can show you take an interest – this gives employees a sense of belonging, and instills value among employees. Taking the time to tune into how their day is going, and how they are finding their workload could shed impartial light on their level of engagement. Every check-in that is completed between employees and managers is an opportunity on both ends to learn, grow and develop.
By fostering strengths, developing skills, and catering to your employees’ differing personalities, you will notice immediate positive results that will keep your business on the right track. To harness their strengths, you need to make them realize that they are highly valued. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of team members is crucial to building a productive team – this allows you to place them and give them tasks that will fuel them, spiking their engagement and interest, ultimately getting the best results.
When heading a team, you should understand that your team members are your most valuable assets. One of the best ways to do that is to create a culture of recognition and appreciation in your workplace. It will help to develop emotional connections between you and your teammates and also boost their confidence. A simple thank you or a social media shoutout can do wonders.
“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” – Simon Sinek
Low employee engagement not only affects employee performance but increases employee turnover too in turn lowering customer service satisfaction with increased absenteeism. Engagement is a tricky thing to measure because engagement is a feeling after all, but understanding aspects of who your employees are allows you to tailor your leadership. This could very well end in producing a better company performance from increased employee involvement.
