Lack of employee engagement will kill your business?

Our top tips to positively engage employees at home and at work

Engaged employees mean a happier workplace, less staff turnover and increased revenue. But the truth is that most employees aren’t engaged in their roles, which is costing businesses more than lost productivity.

So what is employee engagement? For an employee to be engaged, they are motivated to work hard towards a common goal that is in line with the company’s vision, mission and values. Engaged employees will have a clear understanding of the objectives of the work they are doing, why they are doing it, and how this connects to their team and organisation that exist to meet the needs of the customer. The current business climate is dynamic with wide ranging global issues having an unprecedented impact on organisations at a local level. In an ever-changing and competitive market the onus in on business leaders to cultivate a professional environment that provides employees with and inspired platform to show up with a positive and productive mindset.

It will come as no surprise that research indicates that when employees are engaged in the work that they are doing they are more focused on key performance deliverables within their role, leading to greater efficiency and profitability for their respective teams. As leaders it is easy to get bogged down and focus on the negatives however there are a few simple things you can implement that don’t require significant time or expense to unlock inspiration in your teams.

Try these three things:

1. Get to know them

Sounds simple, and it is! Spending time with your employees and getting to know them is an easy and effective way to engage employees. Learning about their families, backgrounds and personal goals enables you as a manager to develop a stronger rapport with them. Find time in the day to say hello, ask them how their families are doing or inquire about their hobbies. This is a quick and straightforward practice that can make your employee feel like their presence is known and that you care about them as an individual. Research shows that employees who feel valued tend to be much more engaged in their work and performance.

2.  Let them know how the organisation is doing

They are the backbone of the business, and many times its success or failure will depend on them. For them to have a vested interest in the whether the business does well, they should be made aware of its successes, concerns, and struggles. Provide employees with a briefing of not only the organisation’s fruitful ventures but also the ones that didn’t work out so well. Allowing your team to know what works and what doesn’t grants them the opportunity to develop new ideas for the weaker areas, and continue to be proactive in the sectors that are working.

3.  Listen to and act on employee feedback

Listening to what your customers have to say is important, but so is listening to your employees. Having regular meetings to determine what areas of your workplace environment need improvement is an important part of keeping the employees engaged with the organisation. By using a workplace survey, or even a monthly meeting, giving your staff a voice is vital in them feeling like part of the organisation. If employees know that management cares, and hears their concerns, they will continue to maintain a high level of engagement instead of becoming despondent and disengaged.

From our experience, engaged employees who come to work every day, do so because they believe in what they are doing and feel as though they are part of the fabric of the organisation. They want to show up and contribute to the objectives of their team and the operational goals of the company. Engaged employees have an emotional commitment to the work and the wellbeing of their peers which positively influences culture whilst helping the organisation reach its goals.

Awareness Co. is a Wollongong based HR consultancy, providing HR solutions that go beyond just work performance, and focus on developing individuals and teams to thrive in work and in life. Awareness Co. use the latest evidence-based tools to improve wellbeing, resilience and performance, transforming the way you think, feel and behave at work. To learn more about our programs and services reach out via our website www.awarenessco.com.au.