Six Ways to Improve Employee Engagement

How Engaged Are Your Employees?

If Gallup surveyed your employees to gauge their level of engagement, would the results surprise you? If the survey revealed relatively low levels of employment engagement, your company wouldn’t be alone.

For more than 20 years, the Gallup analytics and advice organization has studied how levels of employee engagement correlate with key measures of business success.They define engagement as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and their workplace.

Based on a sampling of workers in January 2021, Gallup found that 39% of U.S. workers were engaged, and 14% were actively disengaged.

Gallup analysts have discovered that companies with low levels of employee engagement have higher levels of absenteeism, turnover, safety issues, and quality defects. Companies with high levels of employee engagement are more resilient during tough times. Higher engagement levels lead to more profitability, productivity, and loyal customers.

Gallup uses a 12-question survey to assess employee engagement. It asks how well the employer demonstrates they care about the employee’s overall well-being as a person, provides clear guidance about expectations and ongoing feedback, and encourages their growth and development. Employees are also asked if the company’s purpose and mission makes them feel as if their jobs are important.

Retaining employees requires more than a raise. Although giving them more money may temporarily lift employees’ spirits, the effects might not be as long lasting as other factors.

A recent McKinsey study found that employees who resigned in recent months cited these top three factors:

They didn’t feel valued by their organizations (54 percent)
They didn’t feel valued by their managers (52 percent) or
They didn’t feel a sense of belonging at work (51 percent).

Six actions that experts recommend to improve employee engagement

1. Train your managers and supervisors.

Employees want to feel that their opinions matter, that they have the tools they need to perform their work, and that their bosses see them as human – people who want to develop fulfilling lives beyond their work.

Supervisors who are trained to listen to all employees (including the cynics), can help you better understand what motivates each individual as a person. Not all employees are inspired by the same types of rewards or recognition.

Every interaction managers have with the people they supervise can positively or negatively affect employee engagement. Click To Tweet

2. Find out how your staff currently feels about their work environment.

Listen to the responses not only of the percentage that are fully engaged, but also those who are actively disengaged. Speak with them one-on-one informally or schedule “stay interviews.”

3. Provide autonomy.

Once your leadership team has established a vision and goals for the company, let managers and their team members decide how to achieve the desired outcomes. Minimize checkpoints, paperwork, and bureaucracy.

4. Appreciate employee contributions.

Recognize employees for their good work. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant gesture, but it should be sincere and personalized. Use recognition as a way to demonstrate that you understand what each employee wants from their work.

5. Encourage new skills.

An employee is more likely to feel engaged in their work if they get opportunities to learn new things, expand their skills, and see opportunities for career growth.

6. Emphasize larger goals.

Demonstrate that your business cares about more than maximizing profits. Give employees opportunities to get involved in sustainability initiatives or community improvement projects.

In his 2022 letter to corporate leaders, Black Rock CEO Larry Fink discussed the power of stakeholder capitalism. He describes it as capitalism driven by mutually beneficial relationships between you and the employees, customers, suppliers, and communities that your company relies on to prosper.

He warns that companies who don’t adjust to the new realities of the workplace will experience turnover that drives up expenses, drives down productivity, and erodes culture & corporate memory.

Could your employee engagement stand to be improved? Not sure? Call me to discuss – 561-543-2323. I can help answer that question and offer advice and solutions, as well as referrals to professionals to help you get your business back on the right track.