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How To Get Your Employees Engaged !


According to Kahn (1990), employee engagement was defined as the harnessing of organization members to their work roles in such a way that people would express themselves physically, emotionally and cognitively during role performances. Another definition for employee engagement was given by Harter (2002), as, "the individual’s involvement and satisfaction with as well as enthusiasm for work".

What are the outcomes?

According to  Stairs and Galpin (2010), higher levels of employee engagement would result in the following: 
  • Higher employee retention
  • Higher employee productivity
  • Improved quality and reduced errors
  • Increased sales
  • Higher profitability
  • Faster business growth 
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty
  • Higher likelihood of business success


What can you do to get your employees engaged?

According to Eisenhauer (2017), the following ideas would help to achieve employee engagement.

1)  Encourage and let your employees speak up

 It is common for employees to go through the week feeling uncomfortable to speak their mind. Keeping an open and safe space for communication would drive your staff to bring more great ideas to the table.

2) Be their mentor!

 Improving your employee engagement model means serving as a mentor for those who are facing issues, regardless of how busy you may be. Offer your help. Drop what you're doing and just help!
Setting aside just a bit of time to help someone who is struggling in their job can go quite a long way, and you can always task other managers with taking the reigns if you truly don't have the time to do it yourself. So long as someone is mentoring the employee in need, you can rest easy knowing that no one is being left behind.

 3) Reward employees only for a job well done

Rewarding employees is certainly something that you should do from time to time, but that's not to say you should do so carelessly. Pay close attention to the progress made by your employees, and don't hesitate to let them know WHY you're rewarding them, whether it be via a bonus, salary increase, a pat on the back, a verbal thank you, or otherwise. As long as you make a point to clarify the reason for the reward, you'll effectively help to increase the chances that they'll remain engaged in the future.

4) Create a unique office environment
 
Showing up to an office every day can be a trying experience after a while, especially if the environment isn't altogether comforting. Nobody wants to sit in a dimly lit cubicle between the hours of nine and five ... yet this is, unfortunately, the way many people live their lives. Creating culture within your office is something that is typically done one step at a time. Artwork, music, branded mugs/dishes, even an office pet are just a few things that can help to add character to your work environment, but this barely scratches the surface of what is possible. So long as you constantly keep in mind the notion that your office should be fun and inviting, you'll be doing what it takes to improve employee engagement levels and make the workweek just a little bit less stressful.

5) Give your employees visibility

Giving your employees visibility within your company can have a huge impact on their levels of engagement ... and it's often exactly what it takes to help someone feel more in-touch with their job. 

"You Matter."

Sometimes, all it takes to give visibility to an employee is to put their name in or on something that other people will see. The more you can give them visibility, the more likely they'll be engaged.

6) Clarify your goals and responsibilities

Clarifying goals and responsibilities is essential if you intend to improve your employee engagement strategy. A staff member simply can't be engaged in something they don't understand. Whenever you kick off a project or delegate out a new task, it's essential to go into the logistics in as detailed a way as possible, taking time to answer any questions that your employees may have. You may end up spending a little more time explaining things, but the fact that you'll be likely to experience less headaches as a result, makes doing so more than worth your while.

What other things / ideas do you think, would help to improve employee engagement? Leave them in the comments below!

Author: Randoll James


Reference List 

Harter, J K, Schmidt, F L and Hayes, T L (2002) Business-unit level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis, Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, pp 268–79

Kahn, W A (1990) Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work, Academy of Management Journal, 33 (4), pp 692–724

Stairs, M and Galpin, M (2010) Positive engagement: From employee engagement to workplace happiness, in (eds) P A Linley, S Harrington and N Garcea, The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work, New York, Oxford University Press.

Eisenhauer, T (2017) 49 Employee engagement ideas (The ultimate cheat sheet your team will love). [blog entry] Available from https://axerosolutions.com/blogs/timeisenhauer/pulse/206/49-employee-engagement-ideas-the-ultimate-cheat-sheet-your-team-will-love. [Accessed on 18 December 2017]

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 22, 2017 at 8:46 AM

    Impact of the people engaged always have two sides,therefore this article will be help to others.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NeoshineDecember 22, 2017 at 10:56 PM

    While I agree with all actions stated above I feel employer branding, culture of the organization and clear understanding of employee aspirations and support to achieve those will also help increase the employee engagement rate.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ajaykrJanuary 12, 2022 at 1:45 AM

    Wonderful blog! Employee engagement activities at the workplace can lead employees to be stress-free and energetic. The simple approach to engaging employees in fun activities and games. An employee engagement company in India, help various corporate and organizations to organize team-building, employee engagement and reward & recognition events.

    ReplyDelete

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