Articles

The equation is simple, motivated, engaged, and passionate employees have so much to offer to your business. That’s why improving employee engagement is key to business prosperity. Nevertheless, companies should invest in implementing modern employee engagement strategies and urge the HR department to work on encouraging employees to be interactive and productive. 

What is Meant by Employee Engagement 

Employee engagement is described as the degree to which employees are invested in, driven by, and enthusiastic about their work and the organization for which they work. It is sometimes confused with employee satisfaction, and while the two concepts are connected one does not guarantee or replace the other.  

But how can you spot out an engaged employee? Surely, they stand out and you might find their photo hung on the wall as the Employee of the Month.  

What are Employee Engagement Features? 

• Follows up on project deadlines:

from the moment of getting assigned a specific task, employees start watching the clock to catch the deadline. However, an engaged employee wins over the deadline and usually submits the work early enough to get feedback and modify it. 

• Enjoys Helping colleagues when support is needed:

You might mistake him for a leader, and he gives you the feeling of knowing all about everything. He is willing to take some time to look up solutions for his colleagues. 

• Speaks positively about the employer: 

They might as well recommend working in the organization to their friends. They know well enough that speaking ill about work will only bring about negative energy and shall put off their enthusiasm. 

• Stays late when it is needed: 

They love their firm, it is not just a matter of getting done with tasks, getting paid and going home. Their company is more of a home to them now, and they are ready to do whatever to help it thrive, including staying a couple of hours late to help finish some overdue tasks.  

Importance of Employee Engagement

I bet you can tell how important it is to improve employee engagement in your organization. In case you still can’t, here’s a list of reasons why you should hype your employees up. 

• Companies with engaged employees are 21% more profitable: 

when your employees are happy and engaged, your profits spike! Not only they save you money, but they also bring more money to your business. 

• Highly engaged employees are 87% less likely to look for a job somewhere else: 

The only reason your employees are giving nonstop is that they are happy at your organization, so there’s no need to look for another job.  

• Engaged Employees help create better work environment: 

where everybody is collaborative and ready to offer help and spare some of their time to help with tasks. 

• Increase productivity: 

Engaged employees are always eager to achieve and elevate the level of their services and products, resulting in creating a bundle of exceptional products living up to client’s expectations.  

• Increased job satisfaction: 

Organizations frequently conflate productivity and job happiness. Even though your employees are dissatisfied, they can be incredibly productive. Higher employee engagement results in employees that are happy with their jobs and appreciate what they do. This, in turn, leads to increased workplace productivity. 

Top Employee Engagement Strategies 

Now that you’ve gathered the data and you want to start encouraging your employees more engaged, you need employee engagement strategies to help you launch the new era of happy employees and a prosperous company. 

Here’s a list of 10 strategies, to follow through your employee engagement process, which will help you take the first step towards forming an army of engaged employees:  

• Set flexible working hours: 

This is important! Because they work flexibly, 30% of employees believe they have less standing at work. In other words, a poorly implemented flexible working plan will not help your employee engagement initiatives. 

However, if it is a well-thought-out program, it has the potential to boost job satisfaction among your workers. 

• Encourage employees to take days off and pay for vacations: 

Over 40% of American workers do not take their vacation days. This occurs for a variety of reasons. Some employees are concerned that their supervisors will condemn them if they take a week off. Others are concerned that everything may fall apart in their absence. Then there are individuals who believe that after they return from their trip, they will no longer receive the juicy tasks.  

• Discuss changes and major decisions with staff from all departments: 

Making ensuring your employees don't feel like cogs in a wheel is an important aspect of employee engagement. People want to feel that they're an important member of the team, that management sees them as more than just numbers on a page, and that their input is valued. Of course, doing so on a large scale is difficult.  

• Show appreciation in visible ways: 

Some businesses opt to demonstrate their thanks by providing office perks. Free breakfast on Mondays, for example, or a fruit box in the workplace are pleasant touches. Another wonderful method to express employee gratitude is to recognize specific workers who go above and beyond. 

• Provide support and feedback: 

Feedback sessions are an excellent method to keep your staff engaged. They also provide an opportunity to learn what works and what doesn't. 

• Ensure the efficiency of communication: 

Employee engagement requires effective and efficient communication. It is critical to building an organized communication hierarchy and structure to minimize confusion and get your ideas through as effectively as possible.

Effective communication allows your employees to communicate with management and vice versa, resulting in vibrant work culture and a productive atmosphere. 

• Increasing communication transparency: 

When you make your decisions clearer, your staff will feel more included. It is usually desirable for management to communicate their decisions with employees and to solicit their input on crucial issues. It boosts job satisfaction and makes people feel more connected to their workplace. 

• Focusing on mental well-being: 

Employees must be in good mental health to perform well at work. It is usually good for a company to prioritize its employees' mental health to boost their engagement. 

Managers should begin dialogues about mental health and be attentive to the challenges their subordinates experience to safeguard their wellbeing. 

• Create a clear professional advancement strategy as well as mentorship opportunities: 

Employees are more likely to stay with organizations that invest in their professional growth. According to one poll, 94% of employees would stay with a firm that provides excellent progression possibilities. 

• Make Your Workplace Psychologically Safe for Your Team to Thrive: 

In the context of the workplace, psychological safety essentially implies that a team feels secure for interpersonal risk taking. In practice, this means that team members feel safe speaking out, asking questions, debating, and proposing ideas. 

We are pretty sure you know how important employees are for a strong, productive organization, you may have already implemented some of the employee engagement strategies, and it's impossible to effectively use all of them. 

It doesn’t really matter as long as the methodology is doing the work and you’re hyping your employees to be engaged and motivated. If you’re an HR and you look for more data related to boosting employee’s productivity, visit our website here.