Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to their organization and its goals. When engagement is healthy, employees don’t just work for a paycheck or the next promotion, but for the company’s mission and values. Healthy employee engagement manifests in high levels of enthusiasm, productivity, and loyalty, which relates to tangible benefits such as increased profitability, reduced turnover, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
If you want to stay ahead of the pack, I suggest that healthy employee engagement is not a “nice-to-have” but rather a “must-have”.
And yet, a recent survey reveals that 51% of employees are disengaged, while 13% are actively disengaged.
Effective leadership knows that it’s important to promote employee engagement, in both word and deed. To do that, let’s begin with a discussion of what healthy employee engagement looks like, followed by some practical strategies leaders can use to increase employee engagement within their teams.
Defining Healthy Employee Engagement
Healthy employee engagement can be identified by several key characteristics:
Commitment and Motivation: Engaged employees exhibit a strong commitment to their work and the organization. They are self-motivated and take initiative.
Productivity and Performance: High levels of engagement are linked to increased productivity. Engaged employees consistently meet or exceed performance expectations.
Loyalty and Retention: Engaged employees are less likely to leave the organization. They feel a sense of belonging and loyalty.
Collaboration and Innovation: Engaged employees are more likely to collaborate effectively and contribute to innovation. They feel empowered to share ideas and improvements.
Well-being and Satisfaction: Engaged employees often report higher levels of job satisfaction and overall well-being.
Based upon the above, you can see that the benefits of fostering healthy employee engagement are significant. The numbers don’t lie. Companies with highly engaged employees experience 21% greater profitability, 41% lower absenteeism, and 59% less turnover. Therefore, it is imperative that leadership plays a critical role in creating an environment where engagement can thrive.
6 Strategies to Promote Employee Engagement
Cultivate a Positive Work Environment
A positive work environment is the bedrock of employee engagement. Leaders can cultivate this by:
Encouraging Open Communication: Foster an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. Regular team meetings and open-door policies can facilitate this. (If silence is the overall sound in your company, your company has a very significant engagement and cultural issue.)
Recognizing and Rewarding Efforts: Recognition is a powerful motivator. We are all human and we all like to be recognized for our hard work and accomplishments. Therefore, celebrate achievements, both big and small, and never miss an opportunity to acknowledge hard work.
Promoting Work-Life Balance: Encourage employees to take breaks, use their vacation days, and respect boundaries between work and personal life. Do not encourage or reward lack of work-life balance.
Provide Clear Vision and Purpose
Knowing that teamwork makes the dream work, employees need to understand how their work contributes to the broader goals of the organization. Leaders should:
Communicate the Vision: Regularly share the organization’s vision and how each team member’s role fits into this vision.
Set Clear Goals: Ensure that individual and team goals are aligned with the company’s objectives. This provides a sense of purpose and direction.
Offer Opportunities for Growth and Development
Career development is a key driver of engagement. Leaders can support this by:
Providing Training and Development Programs: Invest in employees’ skills and knowledge through workshops, courses, and mentoring programs. As Richard Branson famously said: “Train people well enough so they can leave but treat them well enough, so they don’t want to.”
Creating Clear Career Paths: Outline potential career trajectories within the organization. Employees should see a future for themselves and understand how they can progress.
Empower and Involve Employees
Empowerment and involvement are critical for engagement. Leaders should:
Delegate Meaningful Responsibilities: Trust employees with important tasks and give them the autonomy to make decisions.
Involve Employees in Decision-Making: Seek input from employees on decisions that affect their work. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or brainstorming sessions.
Foster Strong Relationships
Building strong relationships within the team and across the organization is essential. Leaders can do this by:
Encouraging Team Building: Organize team-building activities, both on and off-site, that help employees connect on a personal level.
Being Accessible and Approachable: Make time for one-on-one interactions with team members. Show genuine interest in their well-being and professional growth.
Provide Constructive Feedback and Support
Regular feedback helps employees stay on track and feel supported. Leaders should:
Ditch the yearly performance reviews: Rather, consistently provide feedback that is constructive and focused on the employee’s professional development.
Provide Ongoing Support: Be available to offer guidance and support when needed. This includes providing access to the people and/or resources employees need to succeed.
Best Practices for Sustaining Employee Engagement
Sustaining high levels of engagement requires ongoing effort and attention. Here are some best practices:
Monitor Engagement Levels: Regularly assess employee engagement through one-on-one conversations (if possible), surveys and feedback mechanisms. Use this data to identify areas for improvement.
Adapt to Change: Be flexible and responsive to changes in the workplace. Show empathy and support during times of transition, and today business is in a constant state of flux and transition.
Lead by Example: Model the behaviors and attitudes you want to see in your team. Demonstrate commitment, positivity, and resilience.
Promoting employee engagement benefits everyone: the employee, the team and the company. You cannot afford to ignore this important aspect of your leadership priorities.
Dr. Patty Ann
