MX Bites / September 10, 2023
Employee engagement is the holy grail of increased workplace productivity. Research has consistently shown that engaged employees are more productive, creative, and dedicated. However, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report: 2023, only 21% of employees worldwide are engaged. This is quite unspeakable, implying that the remaining 79% are actively disengaged, reducing the productivity and annual income of businesses worldwide.
It is quite common for the majority of business leaders to be concerned about the company’s public image and developing goods that satisfy consumer needs and demands. However, they must understand that the contributions of their employees have a significant impact on their overall results.
Therefore, if appropriate measures are not employed to boost employee engagement, there will be a continued increase in low productivity, employee attrition, and absenteeism. In this post, we will show you what it means to engage your employees and what it takes to be successful at it.
What is Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement is a term used to describe how emotionally invested and enthusiastic employees are in their jobs, their coworkers, and their organization as a whole. Employees who are engaged are not only physically present at work but also emotionally and mentally committed to their jobs.
Considering the importance of employee engagement and the low statistics of employees who are actively engaged, it is now even more important.
AI has made it simpler for businesses that lack the creativity and expertise to actively enhance employee engagement. The good news is that all sizes of businesses, not just large organizations, can use these AI tools. Any organization can successfully engage its employees with the aid of chatbots and virtual assistants, particularly those geared toward enhancing employee engagement. For example, Phia is a chatbot that helps to enhance employee engagement.
While employing these AI-driven solutions helps to improve employee engagement, businesses must also learn about the techniques that they employ. Following are the top ten strategies that you can implement to drastically increase employee engagement.
Strategies For Improving Employee Engagement
- Provide role clarification: According to Effectory, role clarity improves the overall work performance of an employee by 25%. When employees have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, it creates a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment for them and helps them be more productive and dedicated to their work. To implement this, create a very holistic onboarding process that educates employees about their entire role and expectations for the organization.
- Provide necessary training and tools: As technology advances, it’s easier to get things done. There’s virtually a tool for every task. Instead of putting employees through the rigors of getting some tasks done, it’s better to provide the tools for them, especially AI-driven tools that can automate tasks and save time for better productivity. In addition, provide the necessary training to use the tools effectively.
- Inspire employees through the company’s goals and Vision: Employees want to be part of the greatness you are building. When you encourage them with the company’s vision and help them understand their importance in actualizing the goals, they are filled with a greater sense of importance and are motivated to increase their productivity.
- Encourage work-life balance: Employees are as human as every other person. They also have their personal lives. Therefore, you must be understanding enough to allow them enough breaks when they can no longer cope with the frequency of their duties. Also, herculean tasks that consume too much time and effort should not be given to employees. It ends up messing up their mental health and choking the time allocated for their personal lives. Instead, some of these tasks should be outsourced to reduce stress.
- Consistently give feedback and encourage employee involvement: Employees should be included in decision-making processes, and their ideas should be valued. Also, make efforts to regularly get feedback from them to know where you are lacking in giving them the experience they deserve. To get feedback, do regular surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one meetings. Act on their comments and demonstrate that their feedback is valued.
- Give professional development opportunities: Investing in your employees has a two-way benefit. Your company, as well as the employees, gain from investing in their professional development. It demonstrates that you care about their future when you provide training, workshops, and chances for skill development. In addition, it encourages loyalty and dedication.
- Promote a positive workplace culture: A positive workplace culture is contagious. It promotes teamwork, diversity, and inclusion. Establish a culture where employees feel secure, valued, and included by making sure that your company’s values are reflected in all that it does.
- Offer competitive compensation to employees: Employees who are satisfied with their compensation are 26% more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and increase their productivity. If employees are not duly compensated, they are likely to feel cheated for the valuable contributions they make to the company.
- Give tips and publicly celebrate outstanding achievements: This works like magic, as it helps to boost the employee’s ego and increase healthy competition amongst them. Everyone loves that moment when they are singled out of the crowd and awarded for excellence.
- Improve employee wellbeing: Make employee wellness a priority by providing resources and programs to this end. This can include stress management classes, fitness programs, and support for mental health. Employees in good health are more content and engaged.
In conclusion, improving employee engagement requires intentional and consistent effort. However, the result of putting in the effort is worth it, and any company that must rise to the global competitive standard must use the strategies listed above to increase their output.
