It is an open secret that engaged employees are productive employees. In fact, several recent studies on employee engagement have reported a direct positive correlation to overall productivity. In the absence of a formal employee engagement program, here are 5 simple, yet highly effective tactics to ensure that your workforce is highly engaged.
1. Acknowledgement and Appreciation
Acknowledging employees for their hard work or positive input is crucial and more often than not employers or managers overlook doing so. One way to make work more engaging is to show high performing employees the impact they have on others. This can be done through open line communication or sending a token of appreciation. To foster commitment, make informal appreciation and recognition a norm.
2. Continuous Development
The most effective method for developing expertise is deliberate practice, which calls for a cycle of application, feedback, and evaluation. By providing team members with the opportunity to use newly acquired skills, giving them feedback, and steadily raising the bar as they advance, leaders can support their team members’ mastery. This strategy will not only increase engagement with their work but also provide you with a broad pool of knowledge within your company.
3. Autonomy and Accountability
Feeling in control at work is important to employees. When employees feel included in the decision making on how work is assigned or carried out, they are more engaged. That being said, some managers may feel threatened to grant autonomy as they may not be ‘in-control’. Managers should create an environment that allows for employees to act with autonomy while holding them accountable for associated outcomes.
4. Going Beyond Their Comfort Zone
A sense of growth and accomplishment comes from work that pushes us to use all of our knowledge and skills to complete tasks that initially seemed just out of reach. Give team members the chance to demonstrate their abilities in a field they are passionate about or that will advance them. In order to encourage them to take more calculated risks, this calls for setting goals together and providing mentoring or coaching, as appropriate. Increased engagement through commitment and motivation will be the result of these efforts.
5. Set Shared Goals and Celebrate Successes
Establishing shared goals ensure that everyone is on the same page. Share your strategy and vision with your team and ask for their input on how you can achieve it together. This will make them feel like they have a voice in the decision-making process which helps foster an engaged workforce. Celebrate all achievements regardless of how big or small it is. It is important to reward both effort and results in a timely manner so employees remain engaged and motivated.
To Conclude
Due to the evolving employer-employee relationship, leadership is now required to build what they refer to as “an irresistible organisation” in order to draw in, keep, and engage employees. To achieve this, the emphasis must be shifted from discrete programs to creating a compelling and cohesive employee relations management experience.