The concept of employee engagement is one which I’ve spoken about quite a lot recently. It’s all about building a mutual relationship with employees, and establishing a degree of commitment.
So, what’s that go to do with performance? Everything. There’s a very simple reason for that, too. A truly engaged employee doesn’t rely on managers to drive change and innovation. Truly engaged employees lead change, even from the front lines.
While that’s a very lovely and somewhat idealistic vision, it’s not so easy to inspire that level of engagement. There are some key things, though, which can be implemented by managers at all levels build up a level of engagement. The concept is simple, really. In everything you do, engage your staff.
Let’s look at collaborative decision-making styles. Instead of simply barking directions at staff, seek their input. In addition to developing the level of engagement, you’ll find some terrific ideas for improvement.
When your employees to suggest fantastic ideas for change and innovation, do your best to implement them, and make employees aware of that. Nothing breeds indifference like a useful idea discarded.
Develop communication channels & forums for natural discussions. Few things engage employees quite so much as an informal chat about how things are done or can be improved. Look to create a culture where talking is encouraged, particularly between different functional groups.
The key to high performance is employee engagement, and the key to employee engagement is simple. Work on one simple idea – keep your employees involved and informed.
Brilliant Daniel. Some very good points. I would have to agree that the most effective way to encourage employee engagement is indeed by adding transparency and allowing everyone to take part and participate in your companies vision.
In my experience it’s equally as important to give all employees the tools to openly recognize each other for the positive actions that are taking place. Select the values you’d like to emphasize and in that way have an element of control over what’s being praised. This method works two-fold in that it can actually change culture by reinforcing your core values. It’s a great way to focus on the positive, and to keep your employees engaged by recognizing and celebrating their accomplishments.
Ben Butler
Rewards Nation
I would call engagement as employee involvement. That is something which an employee can do to be able to feel that he or she belonged and not just in the company to be told of what to do or what not to do. Some employers just do not have any idea on this especially if they have branches in other areas of the state or country. They need to get the employees to involve and they need to be involved also. Thanks for this amazing post!