I know it may seem hard to believe, but we’re getting treacherously close to the end of the year. Sooner than you know, it will be time to think through your goals, objectives, and resolutions for the coming year. And as you do so, I want to encourage you to ponder your employment engagement strategies.

It really doesn’t matter which boat you’re in: Whether you’ve got a pretty sound employment engagement strategy, a faulty one, or somewhere in between. Maybe you’ve not even thought much about your employment engagement strategy. Regardless, I think there’s real merit to a season of reflection.

Let me suggest just a few specific ways in which you could resolve to more effectively implement employment engagement strategies in the coming months and years.

Resolve to Pause and Assess

For some HR leaders, the best resolution of all is to decide that you’re going to be more proactive about pausing to seriously think about the state of your employment engagement approach.

When’s the last time you really pondered what’s working and what’s not about your approach to employment engagement? How recently have you reviewed the metrics and data? And how frequently do you discuss employment engagement strategies with your team?

Let me suggest a simple resolution: Schedule time for real, candid, data-driven reflection on your employment engagement approach, at least once a quarter. This alone can be transformative to your entire organization.

Resolve to Set Better Goals

I mentioned the importance of metrics and data. One reason I’m a believer in data-driven employee engagement is that it allows you to set real, quantifiable goals, then to discern exactly how close you’ve come to meeting your goals (or, by how far you have exceeded them).

So, a reasonable question would be: What kinds of goals have you been setting? And are they the kind of goals for which you can set clear benchmarks and seek specific metrics?

Resolve to be more intentional in setting goals in the coming year… and, monitoring your progress more proactively.

Resolve to be a Better Communicator

So much of employment engagement comes down to communication, including:

The frequency with which leadership communicates with the rest of the team.

The opportunities team members have to communicate with managers and leaders.

The tools available for communication and collaboration between peers.

The formal structures with which company-wide goals and objectives are communicated to the entire organization.

These are all critical considerations under the umbrella of your employment engagement strategy. So if you’re looking for a way to do better in the coming year, why not start with a resolution to be a clearer or more consistent communicator?

Resolve to Improve Your Performance Management System

A good performance management system can be invaluable to your employment engagement strategies. And as you think about your performance management system, let me offer one particular encouragement: It would be great if your team members received feedback, praise, and constructive criticism more than just once a year, during their annual review.

I’m not saying get rid of the annual review but do make sure you have a culture in which feedback is given more freely, and employees receive the validation they need from their direct supervisors.

It may prove to be a hard habit to form, but I think it’s a worthy resolution to make!

Resolve to Bring in a Consultant or Coach

If you really want to get serious about honing your employment engagement strategies, think about enlisting a transformational leadership expert who can come in and speak with you and your team.

Have your transformational leadership expert assess your culture and offer some tips for improving your approach to employment engagement.

Or, have your transformational leadership expert address the entire team, offering some practical and motivational words that will make clear your commitment to staff development.

Remember, when it comes to employee engagement, you don’t have to keep everything in-house. In fact, an outside coach or consultant may bring just the perspective your organization requires.

Resolve to Involve Your Team

If you want to know how you can do better in employee engagement, an obvious solution would be going directly to the team and asking them for their input.

Why not schedule a town hall meeting where employees have the floor to speak to your current employee engagement efforts, noting what works and recommending some course-corrections?

Even if you don’t implement all the ideas you hear, it can be a good way to help your team members feel heard, which can be a powerful catalyst for employee engagement in and of itself.

Resolve to Make a Change

For a lot of HR leaders, you know fully well that your employment engagement strategies haven’t been working; or, that there are newer, more effective methods available.

If that’s the boat you’re in, let me give you the little nudge you need to enact real change in the coming year. It can be daunting, but it will also be worth it. You don’t have to settle for business as usual. There are countless resources available to help you make a positive change.

Indeed, you can start by calling in a transformational leadership expert, as mentioned above. Of course, I’d be honored if you contacted me. Reach out any time you’re ready to talk about employment engagement strategies!

Oh, and good luck with your resolutions.

Want to talk further? Contact Dr. Rick and his team at info@rickgoodman.com or call directly at 888-267-6098.

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