If you're looking for more information, see our post on Employee Engagement Drivers and team building activities.
Understanding Employee Engagement
Why is Employee Engagement Important?
1. Engaged employees are more productive
Employees who are focused on their roles are reported to be more productive than those who are not. According to a Gallup poll, employees with high engagement are 22% more effective than low engagement. Finding ways to engage employees, whether by challenging them or giving them more responsibility, is also about finding ways to increase your organization's productivity. In other words, it is beneficial for all parties involved.
2. Employee engagement increases customer satisfaction
People who are passionate about what they do are often the best people to interact with customers. Why is that? Because that passion is contagious, and customers pay attention to it. According to Quartz, the most engaged employees are more likely to put in the effort to increase productivity, have happier salespeople, and have more reliable product sales. In other words, customers will have a better experience when they interact with highly engaged employees. Employees who believe in the value of helping customers and who feel valued by their organization are far more likely to provide a better customer experience and increase satisfaction.
3. Retain the best talent
Engaged employees are less likely to quit their jobs because they are involved and invested in their duties. However, if your best employees are not engaged in their work, you risk losing them. Keeping your employees engaged is essential for them to do their best work. If your organization is struggling with low retention rates, you should urgently consider why your people are not staying with you. Because if the best people in your organization quit, other employees will notice and finish in a chain reaction.
4. Employee engagement supports a positive corporate culture
People who are engaged in their work are generally easier to work with. It is because they embody a culture of employee engagement. According to Forbes magazine, a culture of employee engagement is a workplace that is designed, first and foremost, around the company's values. To increase employee engagement, make sure that the company's mission is aligned with how employees currently work and how they want to work. Ideally, highly engaged employees live out the company's values every day at work, which is recognized throughout the organization. Celebrating the most engaged employees is a step toward creating a culture of engagement.
Engaged employees are engaged not because they are more productive or easier to work with but because they feel that their work is essential. It's because they feel valued. And when they are recognized for their success, employees will feel that they have succeeded in making a meaningful impact at work.
Employee Engagement Activities
How to Improve Employee Engagement?
How can managers know who is engaged? Team members need to confidently say the following the managers understand what is expected of me and the quality of my work. I have the resources and training to be successful in my role. I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. I receive frequent commendations, praise, and constructive criticism. I trust my superiors and believe that they have my best interests at heart. My voice is heard and valued. I have a clear understanding of the mission and purpose and know how I am contributing to it. I have opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally.
The steps to improve engagement are not complicated; they need to be prioritized. In short, engagement must be at the core of the manager's role. That way, everything else will fall into place.
1. Put everyone in the right roles
Again, put the right people on the bus and put them in the right roles. It means that all talent acquisition and retention strategies must be aligned to achieve the company's goals.
2. Organize training and online events
Managers and leaders can't build a culture of trust and accountability and improve engagement without preparing their teams for success. To do this, they need to provide proper training and capacity building and remove obstacles. The good thing about working with a provider to run an event by organizing an online office game is that it is very flexible, and you can participate. It can be a great way to build team cohesion. You can build team cohesion with fun games, activities that challenge you, trivia, and communication games. You can find more information on Teamland Experiences.
3. Do meaningful work
Engaged employees do meaningful work and have a clear understanding of how they contribute to its mission, purpose, and strategic goals. Again, for this to happen, you must first put them in the right job. I have made the mistake of hiring talented people but not giving them a clear career path or role. Their career paths and positions were not clear. If these details are not sorted out soon, they will leave.
4. Check in often
The days of simply relying on mid-term reviews for feedback are long gone. Today's employees expect feedback regularly. Of course, it leads to quicker course corrections and less waste. Use both formal and informal methods to check in weekly.
5. Discuss engagement frequently
Successful managers have a transparent approach to improving engagement and are constantly discussing it with their teams. They hold the state of engagement meetings and involve everyone in the discussion and resolution.
These principles are not complicated, but they do have to be prioritized. Companies that get this right will deliver greater financial returns, outperform their competitors, and easily make it to the top of the list. So let's get started right now!
How do you build team engagement?
If you want to improve employee engagement, you need to find ways to make your employees feel like they are part of a team. These methods found must be tailored to the unique needs and motivations of each individual employee. To help you engage employees, we decided to share a couple of our secrets on how to engage employees at the workplace.
If you're an employer, you would need to find ways to improve employee engagement. These methods found must be tailored to the unique needs and motivations of each individual employee. Because increasing your employees' engagement will improve their performance, it's important to share some secrets on how to increase employee engagement.
1. Encourage flexibility
The secret how to make your employees more engaged is by giving them flexibility. This gives you the possibility to adjust your employees' schedules and locations as it suits you. Not many employers trust their employees in getting the work done without their managers’ watchful eyes but you would be surprised. When you provide people with flexibility, they're more likely to be productive, happier, and more engaged at the workplace.
2. Proactive breaks
A good way to combat this is by getting your employees out of their chairs at least once every hour. Our brains are always in work mode, but taking a break helps us process information properly. It prevents mental fatigue and allows us to produce better results. There are a few software applications you can install on your computers, which remind you to take breaks and rest your eyes from the computer. If employees see that you care more about their well-being than the company, they will work harder for you or the company.
3. Clarification of Goals
Every employee has goals and responsibilities that they need to focus on. However, it is common for employees to be confused about their role in the organization. In order to increase employee engagement, it is important to clarify goals and responsibilities.
In addition, employees may become mentally exhausted as they try to achieve the goals assigned to them. This may be due to a lack of leadership or support, or simply because they feel they are not competent enough or are not confident in the work they have completed.
A good leader is one who helps employees set goals and supports them when problems arise. I agree that management cannot always be there to guide employees in their work and the problems they are facing. However, if you want to increase the level of engagement within your organization, you need to show your employees that you are there to help.
In today's world where the sky is the limit, there are many people who are making tremendous efforts to advance their careers in any way they can through education and workshops, and other enrichment courses. Encourage your employees to attend workshops and conferences, or invite guest speakers relevant to your industry to speak to your team. This will not only increase the productivity of your employees but also boost the morale of your team.
4. Mentoring Your Employees
One of the secrets to increasing employee engagement in the workplace is to become a mentor to your employees. Some managers are too busy with their own work to help their subordinates, or they find it too much trouble to help themselves.
The best way to increase employee engagement is to be a role model for employees who are facing problems, no matter how busy they are. If you happen to see an employee struggling, or if you know they need extra help with a given task, offer to help.
5. Show your appreciation on a regular basis
Finally, the secret to increasing employee engagement in the workplace is to say "thank you" to your employees. It's time to thank your employees for their efforts in making the company profitable. This is a very simple thing to do, but one that is often overlooked, especially in large organizations.
Another factor that needs to be taken care of to increase employee engagement is to thank employees. Management should take the time to show appreciation to their employees in the office. This is not just because it is a good thing to do, but because it makes everyone happy and increases the productivity of the company.
Everyone wants to feel appreciated and finds value in a simple thank you. However, in many workplaces, this is not done enough. Showing simple appreciation can go a long way in motivating employees to work harder and be more productive.
Acknowledgment by management and co-workers is the surest way to build trust, repair strained relationships, and motivate employees in the workplace. For more great ways to show appreciation to your employees, see this article as well.
6. Build authentic relationships
Another way to increase employee engagement is to build genuine, caring relationships with co-workers. No two people are exactly the same in all aspects of their work, customer service, and how they treat their co-workers. As a manager, you have to understand what motivates your employees and figure out how to reflect that in what you say and do. Some managers say, "When it comes to getting employees to work, it's not the manager's problem.
But if you can build a positive relationship with your employees, they will generally be more productive because they will know that management cares about them as individuals.
If you're looking for more information, see our post on Employee Engagement Drivers and team building activities.
