Keeping employees engaged remains a major concern for the organizations and specifically the Human resources (HR) department. Keeping high employee engagement levels remains a challenge for most employers. Surveys have observed that less than half of businesses believe that their employees are engaged in their work, and will make an additional effort to do the work. This indicates that most organizations require a lot of help in this matter. Most businesses think that less than two thirds of their employees are engaged in the work.
The immediate supervisors of the employee and leaders are the major factors affecting employee engagement. Some of the tips for managers which will help in keeping employees even during a downturn are listed below:
1. Employees are Assets
- Employees should be considered as assets for the organization, not expenses and treated well. The leadership of the organization should be aware that if the employees are fully engaged in the work they do, they will add more value to the work they do. It is advisable to define the roles for each employee, define goals which are linked to the goals of their department, division or the entire company.
2. Employee Appreciation Culture
- The organization should foster a culture of appreciating employees. The employees should be aware that they make a difference and help the business attain its targets and often exceed them. The employees should be informed about how their behavior is linked to the company goals and values using a strategically designed program for recognizing employee efforts. This program will show how the work done daily by the employee contributes to the achievement of company goals.
3. Employee Recognition
- Improving performance by recognizing additional effort. If the employee is frequently and consistently recognized for his additional effort in the right way, it will result in a greater boost to the performance of the employee. It is observed that the return on investment (ROI) for a well designed recognition program is usually far more than the annual salary increased. The program rewards should be at least 1% of the payroll of the business. The organizations should reduce their annual increments to the lowest possible and encourage better performance from employees by implementing a suitable recognition program.
4. Open and Honest Communication
- It is important to have an open and creative discussion with workers either face-to-face or in a group. For this, the supervisor should stop considering his own agenda and expertise and consider his subordinate(s) needs. This can help in increasing the engagement of teams since assumptions are questioned, different opinions are considered and problems are converted into opportunities
Employee Discussion Process
Some important considerations which should be discussed and documented after such discussions focus on the following:
– What are the problems which we are facing in this area?
– What are the reasons why we face these problems?
– What can the employee, team or our organization do to get a better result?
– What is the team or organization doing at present which is causing problems?
– If the problem is resolved, how would conditions improve?
After this, the information provided should be converted into plans which can be implemented.
Increasing the recognition of the employees, being involved with the employees, their problems and offering better opportunities for career growth can help improve employee engagement. Organizations with high engagement levels are more likely to be monitoring the engagement of the employees closely, recognizing better employee performance offering career growth. The workforce will also have leaders and supervisors who improve employee engagement.
Recruiting Engaged Employees
Need assistance recruiting engaged workers, call on Flexicrew or just pick our professionals‘ brain for creative ideas.