Satisfied employees are merely content and may do as little as possible. Engaged employees are motivated to do more! The manager is the greatest determinant if an employee is engaged…or not!— so what’s a manager to do?
Take an interest in your people as people: Feeling appreciated, confident, competent, and empowered leads to engagement. These emotions can’t be fostered unless you build relationships and see employees as individuals.
Inspire employees through purpose: remind your employees that their work is important and needed. Explain how each job contributes to the organization’s mission.
Create a shared vision. Let them see and determine how they fit into the long term plan. Remember people support what they help create!
Don’t bury bad news. Even if things aren’t going well, share that data. Nobody likes to be kept in the dark. By sharing information, employees feel valued and may even have ideas on how to improve things.
Train your managers to walk the talk. Actions still speak louder than words. Teach your managers to be role models and perform the way you want your employees to. Model how you want your workplace reflected.
Reward positive behavior. A simple “thank you” means a lot. Not only does this engage the employee, but others take notice. The best time to provide recognition is when the employee is doing or completing a performance goal. (Not just yearly at performance review time!)
Build teams and break down silos: The more interconnected people feel, the
more engaged they are. When we build true teams, trust and engagement go up and that happens only with a deliberate training plan.
Is building engagement worth the time and training? YES! According to HR Magazine, engaged employees perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave an organization.