A hard-working, inspired workforce can make miracles happen. Unfortunately, due to some reasons, the number of disengaged employees is raging in organizations across the globe. The question isn’t actually why you should address employee engagement. Instead, the question is “how” to do it. Measuring employee engagement has become immensely crucial in today’s organizational environment. Measuring means you should measure the right things – factors that matter the most in terms of performance and a framework that’s geared heavily toward positive changes. A perfect employee engagement program is a strategy by implementation of which you make sure your employees are fully motivated to their work – not just checking off tasks and going through the motion. So, how would you ensure your employees are satisfied with their job and motivated? Here’re 7 crucial ideas you can implement to boost employee engagement and pull the already “checked out” workers back on track.
1. Eliminate stress
Excessive workloads or impossible deadlines simply erode job satisfaction even for the most loyal team members. Employees who undergo too much stress at office are less productive and less engaged. Strive to develop a stress-free work environment by keeping projects manageable and chalking out realistic deadlines. Focus on building stress-relieving spaces such as a game room or a coffee shop to boost employee engagement.
2. Start from day one
Sitting through a complex PowerPoint presentation and filling out piles of paperwork on the very first day at office is a surefire method that kills employee engagement. Fresh employees start with curiosity and enthusiasm, and you should capitalize on that momentum by helping them get to know the office ambience, their co-workers or simply pairing them with a mentor. Try to make an amazing first impression to acclimate them to your office culture, and they’ll surely fall in love with their work and your company.
3. Focus on the managers
The best managers or supervisors clearly understand that the success of an organization heavily depends on its employees’ achievements. The point is – everyone can’t be a good manager. Good managers care about their teams’ success, seek to understand each member’s strength as well as weak points, empower their employees, value and recognize their contributions, and actively seek their opinions and ideas while those who lack managerial abilities prefer to sail simply along with the motion. Whether you’re promoting from within or hiring from outside, make sure to select persons with proper functional abilities, which in turn would greatly help them to manage their team members effectively and effortlessly, thus boosting employee engagement across the organization.
4. Show appreciation
When it comes to improving employee engagement, one of the most crucial factors in motivating employees is demonstrating genuine appreciation. Employees care more about their roles and work harder when their efforts are recognized and rewarded. Appreciation doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate. A simple “thank you” note is enough to do the magic. The key is to exhibit praise regularly and not just at holiday parties or annual reviews.
5. Offer growth opportunities
It becomes harder for employees to stay motivated when they start to feel their positions are becoming stagnant. Hence, it becomes immensely crucial to chalk out a clear road, following which your employees could climb the stairs to a higher compensation and greater responsibilities. One good way to let the employees understand that you care for them and want them to develop professionally is to conduct one-on-one conversations about professional and personal goals, emphasizing on how the organization can help.
6. Offer visibility
This is another crucial aspect when it comes to boosting employee engagement. This can be manifested in two ways – firstly, managers and supervisors need to be visible and accessible around the office (instead of staying locked away in some cabins), so that employees consider them as approachable and reach out to them for assistance and guidance; and secondly, recognize employees publicly for their achievements and contributions. It not only motivates each of those employees to keep up with the good work but their peers as well.
7. Offer transparency
Management transparency bears a great amount of correlation with employee engagement. Trusting employees with valuable and sensitive information offers them a greater sense of deeper investment in your organization and helps to develop a healthier team ambience, as opposed to the “us versus them” perception often found in the employee-management relationship.
8. Use proper employee engagement survey
Whenever an organization asks the employees to express their opinions, employees expect fruitful action to follow. Unfortunately, organizations often make the mistake of collecting irrelevant data or opinions about something impossible to act on during their employee surveys. Make sure to chalk out only those survey data that are relevant, specific and actionable from your organizational aspect.
The final Takeaway
As a business owner or someone in the senior management, you must concentrate on developing healthy relationships among employees, identify signs of burnout in them and work hard to help them grow along with exhibiting appreciation where it’s due. If you put your best foot forward to boost employee engagement and succeed in taking it to the next level, your employees will surely put their best efforts in.
