Employee engagement is important for every business. When employees feel engaged, they are more productive on the job. They also tend to stay with a company longer, which can reduce your turnover costs associated with hiring and training new staff members. The question is how can a business improve their employee engagement? Here are some steps to follow.
Define the high level strategy
Rather than taking isolated steps here and there, your efforts to boost employee engagement will be more effective if they are part of a carefully planned strategy. This needs to start with upper management, so that the executive team is all aligned on the strategy, before communicating plans to the rest of the organization.
Map the strategy to all business units and decide how the strategy flows from upper management down through all of the business units, to the level of individual employees. Every department must have a role to play, and each employee must have a part as well. One of the factors in employee engagement is Job Importance, so give every person a part in this important endeavor.
Companies should have a solid plan to engage people and willingness to do everything in their power to make those people feel valued. They should more attention to the little things if they want their people to enjoy their job responsibilities. A high level strategy should also include steps to help engage employees. If you can't afford to give them higher paychecks, you can reward your people with some other incentives such as better working hours, short schedules on Fridays, and so on.
Set up performance management
You need to have a performance management system that allows for feedback to employees at least monthly. Two of the factors for employee engagement are Communications and Clarity of Role, and having a good performance management system works on both of these factors.
Tie incentives to performance management and close attention to another important factor in employee engagement – Reward. To maximize this factor, you need to tie compensation and incentives to employee performance. This could mean salary increases, bonuses, or some other form of reward. For employee engagement, it is important for staff members to see a clear career path for themselves, not just a dead end job. This can be partially satisfied by setting up a succession plan, so that high performing employees can see a way for themselves to advance.
Set objectives with every employee. Every manager needs to sit down with each member of their team, and discuss the strategy as well as the employee's part in it. Every employee should then set objectives that relate to their part of the strategy, and which are agreed to by both the employee and the manager. Reinforce the important part that each person needs to play.
Hold management accountable
Every month, managers should sit down with each employee, and do a performance review and update. It doesn't need to take long, but it is important to stay on top of this. Review the employees objectives and performance standards, and record their progress. Managers should be held accountable for making sure this happens.
Employees want to know that there is a way for them to move forward, which is why career planning is extremely important. For some, that will mean moving into management, or moving up the ranks. For others, this could mean advancing in a technical direction rather than management. Managers should sit down with each employee to discuss their career aspirations, possible opportunities, and employee development steps. Clear communication with employees is key, so that they always know where they stand, what they need to do, and how they are important to the company.
Whatever you choose to do to keep employees motivated and engaged there's one more thing you could do – let them be bosses. It sounds strange but it's a smart strategy companies can use to motivate their staff. Allowing employees to take decisions, make mistakes, and settle on what's best for the company will inspire them to do an excellent job. Provide constructive criticism, communicate with them on a humane level, and always praise their work. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated. Remember that!
By William Taylor and PeopleInsight.co.uk!
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