Employee engagement is a concept often ignored by organizations. After hiring a candidate, companies do not plan any strategies or policies which can keep the employee enthusiastic about work. This is an essential aspect of employee retention and promotes stability among employees for a more extended stay in the company.
Before knowing why employee engagement is essential, you must understand different categories of employees:
- Engaged employees are those who treat their work as their second home. They take complete responsibility and ownership of their work and stay loyal to the organization. They are the upcoming leaders and remain with the company for the long-haul.
- Not engaged employees are those who are pretty happy with their job but only do what their job profile demands. They do not work for the mission, goals, and values of the company. However, with the right approach, you can convert them into engaged employees.
- Disengaged employees have no zeal to perform. They spread negativity in the organization by talking about how unhappy they are with their work and office culture. There is a rare chance that you can convert them into engaged employees.
According to Mental Health America, disengaged workers cause massive losses in productivity – between $450 and $500 billion a year. Furthermore, only ⅓ of US employees are engaged in their workplace.
This calls for a growing need to engage your employees at a high level to ensure more productivity and better results. Here is how HR managers can improve their employee engagement:
1. Give Right Tools to Work
Job satisfaction depends a lot on the company’s infrastructure. This means devising processes and providing tools to employees using which they can complete their job. You must find out tools that can enhance employees’ productivity. They can complete a job quickly with distinct processes and boost their efficiency.
2. Provide Training
Employees look for a culture that offers continuous growth. They want to work in an organization where they can see a rising graph in their career. It is important to provide regular training to employees to help them gain more skills. Organize training and enroll your employees in the same. This will provide them a sense of belongingness with the organization, and they will feel motivated when they learn something new.
3. Recognition
There is no doubt that appreciating employees for good work is the key to having an effective employee engagement. Giving them rewards in the form of gift coupons and monetary benefits is very encouraging. Conduct monthly meetings and recognize the efforts of employees.
4. Introduce Open Communication
Clear communication gives insights into what is going on in the mind of an employee. Know how your employees feel by conducting surveys, team meetings, and using suggestion boxes. Be a good listener. Encourage them to speak up so that you can implement changes that you feel are right.
5. Share Numbers
Your employees should know what is happening in the company. They must be aware of the numbers. Share every good and bad news with them so that they feel part of the organization.
6. Promote Company Culture
Make your employees clear about the company culture which includes goals, mission, and values. Encourage them to fit into the system by listing down the benefits.
7. Engage Right from the Start
The best way to kill an employee’s enthusiasm is by giving him the monotonous task of filling out forms on the day of his joining. You can change this concept by introducing employees straight to work. Attach a mentor or a work buddy with the new joiner to make him feel engaged and part of the company right from day one.
8. Regular Feedback
Giving frequent feedback to employees is more encouraging than discussing it annually in a performance review. Timely review of their performance helps them in updating their skills and performing as per the company’s expectations. Use both formal as well as informal methods of communication to do the same.
9. It’s Time to Destress Them
Working non-stop for long working hours under pressure and deadlines build stress among employees. Organizations should take the responsibility of making their employees stress-free and feel happy about working. Organize fun activities that are both fun to play and useful to learn. Take them out for outings or organize parties as an annual reward.
10. Offer Work-life Balance
Work-from-home options and flexible timings provide freedom to employees to work from anywhere at any time. Providing these facilities will result in more engaged employees than unhappy employees working in cubicles from 9 to 5.
There is no hidden secret for increasing employee engagement. These simple tips can make your workplace more meaningful for the employees. There is no need to invest a huge amount of money in engaging your employees. By following simple practices and creative strategies, you can quickly promote a happy work culture in your organization. After all, employee engagement is the first step towards building a happy workforce.
Author’s bio: Lovepreet Dhaliwal works with RChilli Inc, a leading resume parsing software provider that helps in speeding up your recruitment process. An MBA in HR and marketing, he has over six years of work experience in business development and strategic sales.
