What is employee engagement? Well the definition says that employee engagement is “the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.” Now that’s a mouthful. So to put it lightly, it’s how employees regard their work and their feelings for the company.
And why is employee engagement important? Engaged employees are passionate, willingly go the extra mile, and are devoted to their job role and the company. When employees are engaged, performance, productivity, and profit get a serious boost. Now we know that sounds like music to your ears. Engaged employees get results, they understand their purpose and they know how to achieve company goals. When it comes to growth and innovation, you need engaged employees.
Here are six ways managers can keep their employees engaged:
- Employees should feel like business partners. Even if your employees aren’t actually a business partner or hold stock, you need to make them feel like they are. When they have a feeling of ownership, they’ll likely perform at much higher levels so you can beat the competition.
- Use advanced tools, like an employee app. Connecteam offers an employee engagement app makes it easier than ever to engage your employees. Easily send updates with or without comment capabilities, start a private or group chat, celebrate milestones (like birthdays, anniversaries, employee of the month, etc), offer a private suggestion box, create surveys, and so much more. Connecteam is highly customizable so you can mimic your company’s look and feel. Connecteam’s user-friendly dashboard reels in results in real-time so you can act on what your employees say immediately, instead of waiting months for the data to pour in. Start engaging your employees today with Connecteam’s mobile-first employee engagement app.
- Give amazing feedback. Sure, no one wants to get negative feedback but all feedback is essential for an employee’s growth. In fact, ADP’s 2016 Employee Engagement study concluded that employees want updates on exactly how they’re doing and they also want recognition. Only then will they know how to grow and climb the ladder within their company. With that being said, feedback should be constant, not just once a year at an employee’s annual review. Seize every opportunity to provide feedback to your employees, it’s enough to say, “Job well done.” Have an employee of the month system, use a rewards program, give excellent employees a shout-out on your company’s social media page, or whatever else you feel is a great way to provide employees with feedback. Maintain a feedback culture to always ask your employees what’s working and what isn’t, ask them for their advice on a new product or what to name a new meeting room; involve them in company decisions and give them a spotlight to share their ideas. That’s the key to happy employees!
- Be transparent. Always let your employees know what is going on in the company, don’t let them find out from a third party something that’s going on with their own company! Your employees will be far more engaged when they feel like you’re always telling them the truth and they can reciprocate. As leader, you must be honest, direct in what you say, and you need to follow through on the things you say. Being transparent doesn’t just mean that the company and the higher ups should be transparent, but the boss-employee relationship needs the same commitment. Managers need to communicate well, be fair, open-minded, and should always be accessible – only then will an employee’s trust in their manager build and thereby, that employee will listen and be more engaged.
- Set short-term goals that are attainable. When you’re setting goals and expectations, don’t raise the bar ridiculously high. Remain realistic. When employees are clear as to what the goal is and they can achieve it quickly, they’ll be far more successful and will be confident in achieving more goals. Employees will only become disengaged if the goals aren’t clear, they’re overwhelmed by unrealistic goals, and they are judged harshly.
- Define what the long-term goals and vision are. When long-term goals and visions are clearly defined for all employees, they’ll more engaged and motivated to accomplish those goals. Once everyone is on the same page and is working on a single goal, engagement truly shines as employees are committed to the company vision.
