Higher productivity and lower employee turnover are two of the competitive advantages that stem from employee engagement. Experts even suggest that a company’s overall health is dependent upon customer satisfaction, free cash flow, and above all else, employee engagement. It can be challenging to keep employees committed and engaged for the long term. Here are some key considerations to keep employee engagement high on your team.
Myth vs. Reality
Engagement surveys are one of the ways that we can learn more about employee attitudes and behavior, but we really need to focus on interpreting the data correctly in order to make improvements. A good place to start is by separating fact from fiction. For instance, there are some common beliefs surrounding employee engagement that are simply incorrect, like the one suggesting that money doesn’t motivate behavior. Studies continue to show that significant amounts of money can influence future efforts. Also, there is little to no correlation between job satisfaction and performance. In reality, there are significant differences in what people value. You can use the results of engagement surveys to determine what actions to take going forward, ranging from providing more job security to financial rewards for achieving individual and team goals.
Provide Management Training
Strong managers understand the importance of nurturing both customers and employees at the same time. If an organization is struggling with an unmotivated and unproductive workforce, then it can sometimes be an indication of poor management. Here are some of the telltale signs to watch out for. Bad managers tend to…
- Listen to themselves talk instead of making employees feel that their voices matter.
- Avoid regular communication and avoid getting to know their employees.
- Fail to recognize employees when they meet or exceed goals.
- Overstep boundaries and micromanage.
- Fail to guide employees in their career journeys.
By offering continual training of managers, you will reap the long-term benefits of higher engagement and productivity. You will also weed out those managers who don’t evolve and improve over time.
The Power of Job Enrichment and Recruiting
Don’t overlook the correlation between job enrichment and proactive work behaviors. Managers can increase engagement by infusing jobs with meaning, variety, autonomy, and co-worker trust. It can even be used to enhance commitment by offering more opportunities for professional development.
Employee engagement starts with targeting qualified talent who will find the work interesting and challenging. Future recruiting efforts should highlight attractive aspects of the job and company to ensure a greater probability of a mutual fit.
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