5 Easy-to-Execute Strategies to Skyrocket Employee Engagement
There is something that, without a doubt, slowly absorbs the life and motivation of the workforce. And, no, it's not just that the coffee you drink in the break room is weak.
So what is the mysterious epidemic that is sapping your team's productivity and morale? The answer is a lack of commitment.
An unengaged workforce literally creates significant cost. Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the United States $605 billion each year. Furthermore, to go even further, companies with low levels of engagement earn an average of two and a half times less revenue than their competition with highly engaged workers.
Yet despite all of the above, many business leaders still don't put as much emphasis on fostering employee engagement as they should.
“Sadly, only 33% of employees in the United States are engaged,” explains Nick Sanchez, chief people officer at Namely . to take risks".
Why is employee engagement important?
Why is employee engagement so important? It turns out that it can have a significant impact on both the culture and the results of your business.
"Engaged employees go far beyond the requirements of their jobs, which means you'll get more productivity and better results for your investment," says Ben Brooks, founder and CEO of tech start-up, PILOT . "Disengaged employees are not only incompetent people in terms of ROI, they also weaken the system overall, both in terms of team morale and customer satisfaction." According to findings published by the Harvard Business Review , 71% of those interviewed consider that employee engagement is very important to the overall success of the company.
However, aside from boosting things like productivity, morale, performance, and retention, emphasizing employee engagement also drives positive outcomes for managers and bosses, particularly those who are totally focused on growth. of the team and the company.
Knowing that you have a staff of committed workers will allow you to trust your team more. Thanks to this, you can let them do their work and achieve their goals, without the need to carry out a lot of reviews, processes and checks to micromanage their work.
Obstacles to employee engagement
Having a workforce of passionate, accomplished and actively engaged workers doesn't just happen like magic. This requires some responsibility and some strategies on the part of the bosses within the organization.
"The reason morale isn't more bolstered in many organizations is because senior executives are focusing elsewhere," says Rodd Wagner, vice president of employee engagement strategies at BI Worldwide . And he says, "Most companies don't give the priority they should to management, with regular employee involvement, not just based on overseeing the particular function of the business."
You need to stress the importance of improving employee engagement, even before you notice that their morale has dropped or their productivity has dropped. Don't wait until you feel morale is rock bottom to conduct a survey about it later. Instead, it's best to be proactive and get ahead of that feeling. It is always best to prevent than to cure.
5 Key Engagement Strategies Every Manager Should Apply
What steps do you need to take to drive engagement within the organization? There are a few key strategies you should start with.
1. Be transparent
"If employees start to feel like a piece of the puzzle rather than essential members of a team, that can lower morale," says Sanchez.
As a manager, you need to create a transparent work environment where you can involve employees in planning and decision-making processes. Employees must feel involved in the reasoning that underlies certain decisions, objectives and other elements of the entire organization.
Instead of staying in the shadows and imposing their power from there, managers and managers must be present and interact with their workers to show them that they not only care about the work they do, but also their ideas, opinions and suggestions.
TIP : Follow in the footsteps of companies like Zappos and hold a regularly scheduled general or staff meeting. This is an opportunity for everyone in the organization to come together, share ideas and get an overview.
2. Promote a culture of collaboration
Collaboration and teamwork are additional terms you'd like employees to use to describe the office culture.
"Employees are more likely to be engaged in their work when they feel a sense of loyalty to their team," says Sanchez, who also comments that "Facilitating team building activities can increase an employee's interest in the success of the entire team." The leadership team should prioritize integrating these activities into the employee experience as well as into budgets."
Not only does participation in these activities and events offer employees the opportunity to communicate and bond, but the very act of emphasizing teamwork can already have a positive effect. "Even if an employee feels somewhat disconnected, peer relationships can inspire productivity and boost morale," adds Sanchez.
TIP : Do you think you don't have time to organize social gatherings for your team? Take companies like Pinterest as an example and form a cultural committee or club. This employee-led group will be responsible for coordinating employee releases. This task will no longer be your responsibility, and it will also give your party members an opportunity to join.
3. Set goals
Setting goals with employees is not only an effective way to gauge the constant temperature of their level of engagement, but such goals can be very motivating for employees. In fact, studies show that even in the absence of financial incentives, goal setting can increase employee performance by 12% to 15%.
Set measurable, actionable goals with staff, and then make sure you regularly discuss progress against those goals.
Considering that many individual and company goals span a longer period of time—say 18 months, versus a week—these frequent conversations about progress are important, particularly for a workforce that thrives on consistent satisfaction.
“At Namely, we ask employees to set hierarchical goals for themselves each quarter that are measurable and metric-based,” says Sanchez, adding, “If goals aren't met, it can be an indication that productivity needs to be addressed and commitment".
However, it does not mean that managers have to dole out goals and assignments without regard to employees. "Don't forget that engagement can be very personal, and employees have an important role to play in their own retention," says Brooks, adding, "Managers can do this by encouraging employees to recognize their own needs and empowering them to meet those needs on their own." ".
TIP : Need help setting goals? We recommend that you use the objectives and key results. You can find more information about them here. .
4. Check back frequently
Employee engagement is not something that can be organized and then quickly forgotten. Don't expect to stick a catchy phrase about your culture on the office wall and think it will do the job. If managers expect commitment, they must also commit, meeting with each employee regularly.
During these individual meetings with each employee, ask them a simple and direct question:
Do you feel engaged?
Based on the response, you will be able to identify some patterns, such as certain departments that feel overwhelmed or locations that need more resources.
While managers need to make sure they get answers to these kinds of questions, Sanchez says it's the employees who primarily need to call the shots in these conversations. "This is an opportunity for employees to regularly share their concerns, what causes them stress, and their goals with the management team. Regularity is important. With weekly meetings, managers can track employee engagement across over time and previous problems”.
When it comes time to have these one-on-one conversations, engagement experts hear the same complaint over and over: "I don't have time to sit down with everyone I report to."
“My answer: You have too many people reporting to you,” Wagner says. He adds, “If you don't have enough time to give each one personalized attention, then that means you can't manage effectively.”
5. Get feedback
There is no doubt that those talks will be enlightening. However, company leaders need to go one step further to take steps to collect additional feedback from employees, whether anonymous or not.
Many companies use surveys to keep track of how employees feel. However, before you bombard your team with long, overwhelming questions, consider these tips from Brooks for successful employee surveys:
Do them often : “Feedback needs to be current, so you don't have to wait a year to hear what your employees think and feel,” says Brooks.
They should be concise and simple – If you ask more questions, you will have a lot more work to do after the survey, just analyzing the data. Also, there will be lower participation fees.
Apply what you learn – It may sound obvious, but this is where most companies fail, in Brooks's experience. "If you ask, you also have to give," he warns.