Engaged employees are enthusiastic, committed to and inspired by their work. They are emotionally connected to the organisation and keen to give of their best. They are alert to issues /opportunities on behalf of the company.
It will come as no surprise that research indicates that engaged employees significantly out perform less engaged or disengaged employees.
So how do you ensure that you have an engaged workforce?
1. Ensure there are good working relationships between leaders and their reports.
2. Offer meaningful careers – opportunities for advancement, stretch goals, interesting work, job rotation.
3. Communicate a clear company vision. Employees need to understand the organisation’s goals, why the goals are important and how goals will be achieved.
4. Set expectations and follow up with ongoing positive and constructive feedback.
5. Express appreciation and congratulate.
6. Show employees how their input contributes to the overall success of the business.
7. Empower and consult with employees (especially when employees are impacted by management decisions)
8. Encourage collaboration, by instilling a team culture.
9. Enforce high ethical standards at all levels in the organisation.
10. Owners/leaders must lead by example in relation to the above.
While fair and competitive pay and terms of employment are essential, without good engagement you will not get the most from your employees, and in extreme cases they will become a liability rather than an asset.
