Employee Engagement: What Matters Most

According to employee engagement research, less than one-third of the American work force is engaged. That means that over two-thirds are not very involved in or enthusiastic about their work and their work environment. Think of the impact this has on the country’s economy, not to mention your own organization. 

There are many factors that go into why employees feel engaged in their work. Looking at the list in the picture above, we certainly agree that the nature of the work (what you do), the workload (how much you have to do), your autonomy (how independently you can operate) and your growth (how many opportunities you have to develop) all matter. But as a result of the twenty-plus years we have been working in the field of employee engagement training on behalf of employers and employees alike, we would choose the other four contributors to effective engagement as the factors that matter the most. And Gallup polls and our own best places to work employee engagement research support our choices.

Relationships
Employees feel connected in a positive way to their work when they have meaningful relationships with their coworkers and, especially, with their manager. 50% of employees who leave do so because of a poor relationship with their manager. It is crucial that managers know how to lead and how to communicate effectively with their team…regularly and often. They need to get to know the individuals on their team—both personally and professionally—and to show they care about their development and well-being.

Clarity
Workers need to know clearly what they are being asked to do and how they directly contribute to the team and the company as a whole. And beyond fulfilling the tasks of the job, they need to know how their performance will be monitored and measured. What does high performance look like and how would you know if you were performing below standard?

Fairness
Accountability for performance is crucial and should be handled in a consistent, transparent and fair manner. It should be no secret when a team member is not doing their job as expected and the consequences of poor performance should be applied evenly. The under-performing employee may need more training or coaching; or their below average performance may be temporary and satisfactorily explained. If not, an improvement plan should be co-created and regular measures put in place to track progress.

Recognition
When the right behaviors are observed and an employee has exerted effort above and beyond what is required, they need to be rewarded and recognized. And recognition should come in a way that will be valued by the individual…announcement at a team meeting, notice in the company newsletter, an afternoon off, or tickets to a sports event. Be creative in the way you recognize a successful employee but make sure you do it in a way that is commensurate with the achievement.

Learn more at: http://www.lsaglobal.com/leading-for-employee-engagement/