According to a survey done by Gallup, businesses with engaged employees had 21% greater profitability compared to those with lower levels of engagement.
Engaged employees are passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and are willing to put in the extra effort to see their organization succeed.
How do you improve employee engagement in your own businesses? Here are some tips to help build an organization with higher employee engagement.
Simple Ways to Increase your Employee Engagement
Appoint the right leader for your team
Studies show that more than half of the contribution to increased employee engagement comes from their first-line supervisor and leader. Since not everyone can be nor wants to be a leader, it is important to find the right people for the job.
A good team leader can help motivate employees through emotional connection. This approach helps the team members to put their loyalty and focus on realizing the goals of your organization. The right leader is able to gain trust and commitment, ultimately increasing employee engagement.
Assign the right roles to the right employee
Your employees have diverse talents, skills, and qualifications. It is important to have the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and more importantly the right people in the right seat.
It may not be apparent until after some trial and error the right position and role an employee should be in. Take the time to get to know your employees, their passions, personalities, and ask them where they feel they can better add value.
Employees are more engaged when they play to their strengths and can directly see how their efforts help the company. When an employee is placed in a role where they are motivated to be in, than it will be more difficult for them to be engaged.
Improve employee onboarding experience
Start new employees off on the right foot. Create a new-hire onboarding program that sets the stage for employee engagement. This would include sitting down and ensuring their know:
- Your expectations of them
- Their roles and responsibilities
- The planned investment on them
- The perks they are entitled to as an employee
This information will make it clear from the start why they are part of your team and also motivate them. You can actually realize increased employee engagement with proper onboarding where you inject the organization’s core values during your employer-employee discussion. This will help the new hire know their reason for joining your team.
Discuss employee engagement often
Openly talk about employee engagement with your team at work frequently. This could be during set weekly meetings, both formal and informal.
Ask your employees to brainstorm and offer solutions to given challenges at the workplace. Make the employees feel that their input is valued and needed. Ask them what you should do to help increase their morale and what you can do to help increase their performance.
Once you have the employee’s perspective, it is essential to follow through. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Do what you can to make each employee feel as they are an owner of the business. This, in the end, will lead to increased productivity, profits, and help with:
- Increasing employee retention
- Lowering employee turnover
- Increasing employee happiness
- Quick and high increased productivity