As a leader, one of your most important tasks is to ensure that your people are engaged in what they do. After all, you don’t want them to slack and not deliver results. Here are five ways to ensure they stay engaged.
1. Develop a personal relationship with your employees
Employee engagement is a hot topic in the business world. Some say that you should hire for attitude and train for skill, others say it’s the other way round.
One thing’s for sure, if you want your employees to be engaged and enthusiastic, then they need to have a positive relationship with their employer.
Developing a healthy relationship with employees will benefit the company. You get to know who they are, what they like, and you can talk to them on a personal level outside of the business environment.
2. Encourage your employees to be more proactive
One of the things I’ve learned over the years is that employees are more engaged when they are more proactive. When you ask employees to be proactive, you are giving them the freedom to be creative and show what they can do.
In addition, it gives them a chance to think outside of the box and open up new ideas and opportunities for growth within the organisation.
3. Offer incentives and trivial benefits
A great way to get employees excited about your company and the products/services you offer is to offer incentives. This can be a reward for reaching sales goals, exceeding customer satisfaction goal, or simply being a good employee.
Trivial benefits include things like flexible scheduling or getting a couple of extra vacation days during the summer months. These little bonuses can really go a long way and leave your workforce feeling valued, leading them to show more dedication to your company’s goals.’
4. Let employees know why their job is important
When we’re reminded of our value, we feel empowered and motivated to do better work. That’s why employees need to know why their job matters. Without this vital motivation, they’ll often end up stuck in a rut or get distracted.
This is particularly true for committed employees who love their career field. When they don’t have a strong feeling of “Why?” something in their gut pulls them away from doing quality work. So, let your employees know they are valued and watch their motivation, and therefore your company’s productivity, soar.
5. Provide extra support
Not all employees are created equal. Where one employee might flourish working independently or in small groups, another may enjoy a more collaborative and teamwork focused environment.
Providing extra support can be about exploring different ways to connect at work, and it can be as simple as looking into job rotation.
It’s important to provide extra support — whether through a mentor, a management system that promotes accountability or another employee that extends communication beyond your own team meetings.
Conclusion
Employees of the future will be looking for more fulfilling jobs beyond just a paycheck. There are many factors that come into play, including how your company treats its employees.
Luckily, there are several things you can do to provide an extra layer of support and engage your team of employees. This article highlights five ways to keep employees engaged on a personal level.
