Why is employee engagement important?
Employee engagement is a big focus right now – and with good reason. If your employees feel like they are truly part of your organization, and feel connected to the mission, they are more likely to be more efficient and happier workers which is exactly the kind of workforce you want to represent you and your business.
KraftyLab Team
We hear itall the time – but what does it mean to have high levels of employeeengagement? You can have effective workers and even happy workers, but to beengaged means for your team to be committed to their work and yourorganization, to be working towards mutual success.
Now, insaying that you should strive to boost your employee’s engagement, it does notmean a company with a toxic work environment or underappreciated staff stilldeserves high employee engagement. Employee engagement is a natural consequenceof highly satisfied and in-tune employees. Not only do our employees deservecompensation for their work, as their time and skills are valuable and are whatkeep the business going – but they also deserve further motivation to fulfilltheir potential within your organization.
Now, i amemphasizing this; employees will not be engaged at a company they do not feelcares about them as individuals, as a workforce, or as members of the workcommunity. So, if you are still reading, it means you have an interest inimproving employee engagement and how it will benefit your business, and we areso happy to hear that.
Why you should care about employee engagement?
It’ssimple, really – from a business point of view, employees that are not in tunewith the organization tend to deliver poorer customer experience, and notperform as well as they could. If your team cares about the organization andyour mission – they will work better, which will result in high-performing teammembers, higher customer satisfaction, and better business outcomes.
How do you improve employee engagement?
Listen toyour employees. What it is that they want and need? What would make them feelmore connected to the organization and its mission?
You couldbegin by organizing an anonymous poll to measure employee engagement, learn howemployees feel, and where staff could share their suggestions to make work abetter place to be. While pool tables and on-site gyms were all the rage a fewyears ago, our research suggests that the things your employees want are a lotsimpler than those nice-enough perks.
Work-life balance
We all havesuch busy schedules and busy lives, and we have seen an increase in employeesreporting a need for flexible employment. You can set specific goals anddeadlines but allowing your team to get on with their work withoutmicromanaging them can help a lot. You can arrange for weekly check-ins to seehow everyone is getting on and come together with others working on the sameproject. This will help them not just feel more part of a team but canhighlight any areas they need support in and clear up any questions they mayhave.
Supporting your workers
On asimilar note, think of your team as full individuals outside of the workplace.How can you help them support their lifestyle outside of work? This may looklike adequate pto (paid time off) – adequate parental leave, time off to beable to balance their professional and personal life, which will help to avoidburnout as they may be more likely to achieve a work-life balance.
It is somuch more effective from a business point of view to have your team book daysoff for whatever reason they may need it, instead of being short-staffed at thelast minute because someone called in sick. In terms of family leave, eventhough federal law encourages 12 weeks of paid parental leave, most parents,particularly fathers, feel unable to take even a fraction of that. The mainreason is a cultural push, a subtle message from a company or management, oreven a subtle reflection of their commitment to the company.
Wellness culture
With nearly1 in 5 adults in america encountering mental health difficulties, providingmental health services to your team is possibly one of the best things you cando. There should be an effective framework where there are connections tomental health supports like counseling or assistance programs for employees.
Create anenvironment that values wellness. This may include something simple likeencouraging your team to take accurate breaks, to log off when their day isover, and to have a company-backed campaign about mental health awareness whichmay include talks about resilience and mindfulness, helpful demonstrations withtools such as meditation and yoga and a company culture that reflects theimportance of self-care.
These connections to wellness services can be a true game-changer in terms ofemployee engagement.
Career opportunities
If you knowyour team is being looked after in the broader sense, you can shift your focusto their professional development. Many of us are satisfied enough with ourjobs, but are we being challenged? Do we feel like we are evolving asprofessionals?
This can bea great way to ensure your team feels like they can grow within their existingrole and not have to seek employment elsewhere. Providing your employees with aroute to success - which may look like upskilling, retraining, andencouraging/funding further education- your team will be at the top of theirgame and feel more fulfilled within your company.
Ask themwhat would make their job more fulfilling or exciting and give them room andtime to grow. On the same note, always look for ways to enhance their currentposition. Ensure your software, tools, and training are up to date with yourindustry – maybe there is a great new software for their upcoming project, or anew machine has been launched to help speed up some of the more tedious tasksin the office.
By alsoestablishing a culture of collaboration, your team is more likely to use a platform where they can come and share ideas, feel like they are contributingto a broader conversation, and most importantly, it will result in them beingmore innovative thinkers and workers. Our expertise within our roles canhighlight gaps within one specific business aspect, such as sales or customerservice, and this collaboration mindset can help those members of the organization not only report them but feel like they can do something about it.
On a finalnote, remember that high levels of turnover are common for companies that havelow employee engagement as they do not have any strong ties to the organizationand may be willing to accept a similar offer elsewhere. You want your team tofeel valued and respected, and being a key part of your organization will helpstrengthen their ties to the company and its mission.
