A fully-engaged employee turns up on time, excited and stimulated at the prospect of their working day. They are dedicated, committed, positive advocates for their company. They motivate others, take pride in doing the best possible job and strive to achieve everything they’re capable of. A dis-engaged employee is quite the opposite, often not just unhappy and bored but potentially disruptive. Morale and productivity are both affected by employee engagement or a lack of it. So how can it be improved?
Incentives and rewards
Most people respond positively to incentives and rewards. They come in many guises, from days off in lieu of extra time worked above and beyond the call of duty, to properly-structured and publicised pay scales, overtime, bonus schemes, prizes and gifts, or something as basic as praise. A simple thank you goes a very long way, something many employers forget. Public acknowledgement of a staff member’s willingness to going the extra mile for customers every time, for instance, can help create a strong bond between employer and employee.
Team bonding
If you’ve ever enjoyed a particularly good team building event, you’ll already know how powerful the feeling of belonging to a strong, cohesive team can be. Belonging to a team that works like clockwork makes us feel rejuvenated, valued, listened to, welcomed and appreciated, acting as a powerful and long-lasting motivator.
Loyalty
Far from a one way street, loyalty goes both ways. When an employer demonstrates their loyalty to their workers, people tend to act accordingly and become more loyal in return.
Employee input
It feels good being listened to… and even better when you are actually heard! Companies that put in place feedback loops so workers can raise issues, suggest efficiencies, and propose bright new ideas often enjoy better long-term relationships with employees than businesses that make two-way feedback difficult. Simply listening to what an employee has to say – and taking it seriously – can boost levels of engagement. It’s important to create a culture where people feel safe to raise positives and negatives without the risk of running into trouble.
Taking a social approach to HR
Social networks are incredibly popular for leisure, and these days the social side of software systems plays an important part in fostering positive employee engagement.
Cezanne’s HR software, for example, provides a lively, dynamic, simple and easy to use internal social network for employees to communicate through. It keeps everyone involved and helps create a real, strong sense of community that’s interactive, productive and rewarding. Employees can create their own pages, share links, use activity feeds to post news, start discussions, upload company handbooks, policy documents and more.
Engage your employees fully for a better bottom line
Better-engaged employees are happier, more productive, more efficient, effective, dedicated, hard-working and committed to their employer. When you do everything you can to maximise engagement, it is ultimately reflected in your bottom line.
Image of men shaking hands from Flickr