The levels of employee engagement can make or break a business. Properly engaged workers not only understand the goals of a company, but also their personal roles in helping to achieve those goals. Generally, they are happier, better motivated and more productive than their counterparts. Disengaged employees, however, are normally less enthusiastic, have low morale and can bring down otherwise engaged coworkers. By increasing engagement levels, managers can influence their business’s worker retention and bottom line.

Fostering a culture of engaged employees

The case for employee engagement has to begin at the top. Company leaders and managers should create working environments that support fully engaged employees and set the tone for high morale.

According to the Northeast Human Resources Association, the five most important drivers of a culture of engagement are:

Two-way feedback between managers and direct reports

Trust in leadership

Career development

Employees understanding their personal roles in the success of the company

Shared decision making

By focusing on these factors, managers can create work environments that automatically foster employee engagement on a daily basis.

Employee engagement best practices

1. Build trust and default to open

It’s not surprising that employees put greater trust in their bosses when they know them on a personal level. Showing your human side becomes the biggest untapped source of employee engagement! “Default to open” is another way to build trust and be human. This means equal access to information from the start, then choose what, if anything, needs to be confidential.

2. Employee engagement starts at the top

An important best practice when trying to improve your employee engagement is that management is the model for change you’re hoping to see. You could preach engagement to your employees on a daily basis, but it’s going to be hypocritical if you can’t prove that you are engaged. Giving every project 110%, being a consistent and lead by example is the best way to embody the level of engagement you’re looking to see.

3. Promote health and well-being

According to Deborah Schroeder-Saulnier argues that both retention and employee engagement can be increased if leaders focus on initiatives that drive feelings of health and well-being among employees. Actions such as encouraging an appropriate work-life balance, supporting the local community and investing in employees’ learning and development are key drivers of well-being.

4. Reduce stress

According to The Human Performance Institute, “Personal energy is the most critical resource we have as human beings, and when reserves are chronically depleted, an inevitable outcome is disengagement.” By promoting stress reduction techniques among the workforce, employers can help ensure energy levels and productivity are high and engagement remains a top priority.

5. Share goals and responsibilities

If employees don’t know what to do, it’s no wonder employee engagement is suffering. Being engaged means being on top of the situation. This is next to impossible when there are doubts about actual goals and responsibilities. Articulating goals and responsibilities in a clear manner is essential to improve employee engagement. This requires more than just verbal articulation, too.

6. Coach those who aren’t performing well

You can’t expect every member of your staff to perform at an exceptional level at all times. More often than not, there are going to be a few individuals that need a helping hand… especially if they’re new to the organization or are stumped on a particular project.

Giving special attention to these employees will not only fix the problem, but it shows that you care enough to help.

7. Create frequent feedback mechanisms

Employee feedback is the core of personal and professional growth. 4 out of 10 workers are actively disengaged when they get little or no feedback. Give frequent feedback can help an employee get better at what they do, and surprisingly employees crave feedback. And it’s also beneficial for the company, since it also helps with the reduce employee turnover: 14.9% lower turnover rates in companies that implement regular employee feedback.

8. Track and communicate progress

Employees are no different than leadership — they both want to work for a ‘winning’ organization. Leaders need to reinforce “line of sight” by telling their employees where they’re going, how they’re performing, and where they fit in.

9. Focus on communication, the cornerstone of employee engagement

Communication is the core of the culture. Employees understand the “why” behind their jobs — what they’re expected to achieve and why it’s important to the greater good of the organization. Collaboration is valued and teams communicate globally to get projects accomplished. Leaders listen to employee feedback and encourage it, and recognize the power of a robust communication plan, one built on clarity, consistency, and transparency.

10. Make it a daily focus

It’s common for management to discuss employee engagement and obsess over making major changes to improve it. While their hearts are usually in the right place, this “all or nothing” approach results in a form of burnout.

To improve employee engagement levels in your organization, you have to make it a daily focus. Being consistent with your approach and taking small steps will be more effective than trying to overhaul your business in a matter of days.

Over to you

What are your thoughts? Any lesson learned you want to share with us? Comment below and let us know!