As we’ve pointed out before, employee engagement can be a tricky business. However, if you create the right environment for engagement to flourish in the workplace, then you’re one step closer to a unified workforce. Check out these four steps to see if you’re on the right path.
1. Create a strategic narrative.
Where are you? Where have you been? Where are you going? You may know the answers to these questions, but do your employees? Giving them a brief synopsis of your “story” isn’t enough. Keep the dialog going and repeat your company’s strategy over and over until they feel a sense of ownership to contribute to your goals.
2. Engage managers.
Did you know that many employees’ motivation and engagement comes from their feelings towards their boss? If those managers aren’t engaged themselves, where’s the motivation for their employees to succeed? Engaged managers should focus their people and enable them to get the job done, treat their team members as individuals and coach and stretch them.
3. Give employees a voice.
Everyone knows that listening and communication is a vital part of a company’s success. However, it’s not just about listening to what people are saying, it’s about finding out why they’re saying it. Keep in mind that if employees feel like their voices are heard, they’re more likely to share the good and bad, which ultimately help the company in the long run.
4. Make sure there is organizational integrity
Do you have company values displayed for the entire office to see? Now, think about your leaders and managers. Do they portray those values, or do their actions differ than the company’s mission? If you answered yes to the latter, then you can see how employees will be confused about their place in the company if their own bosses don’t even follow company policy. Make sure everyone is on the same page – managers and employees alike – to unify your organization.
Even though engagement may be considered by some as a “fluffy” HR issue, if you take the time to really plan out a strategy to engage your workforce, it’s amazing how far you can go.
Information taken from the article “Four key enablers to employee engagement” by David MacLeod and Nita Clarke found in Personnel Today.