Employee engagement levels have been on the rise since the turn of the millennium. However, there was no clear explanation of how managers could create this rise in engagement. Managers need to come up with ways to improve employee engagement within their company to ensure that they do not lose good employees and so that they can continue making revenue.
The following are some simple ways to improve employee engagement:
1. Encourage Face-to-Face Interaction in the Workplace
Long gone are the days of communicating solely via technology and email. Managers should set up more face-to-face interaction among employees during work hours. This can be done by arranging monthly meetings and creating a comfortable environment for employees coming together, such as having a comfortable waiting area or offering snacks and drinks. Letting employees know that you encourage these interactions will help boost morale and increase productivity. Hence, they feel at ease working with each other on projects knowing how open their managers are to this type of communication.
2. Express What Is Expected From Employees at Every Level
As a manager, one should make sure that employees are aware of what they need to do to meet the expectations of their managers. They should also find out how their employees prefer to communicate. Employees feel valued when their managers take the time to know them and provide them with feedback during regular meetings or conversations.
3. Provide Opportunities for Growth
Employees want to be challenged but not overwhelmed by challenges beyond their control. When employees see an opportunity for growth within an organization, they will feel more inclined to stay rather than look for a new job because they feel like they are part of something special or play an essential role in its success. Offering diverse opportunities for growth shows employees that you care about keeping them interested in staying with your company.
4. Communicate With Employees Regularly
It is crucial as managers to communicate with your employees as much as possible, even if it’s about something as simple as reminding them that their presence at work matters and that you genuinely appreciate their contributions to the company. It can be anything from small talk before an important meeting or thanking them for working late one night during the week, but taking time to speak with and acknowledge your employees shows them how valued they are and re-establishes engagement levels in the workplace.
5. Provide Tools to Improve Disability Accessibility
More companies are focusing on hiring the best people, not just those who can work efficiently within their company. As technology has evolved, telecommunication devices for disabled employees have come a long way to ensure that everyone can communicate effectively. Giving employees with disabilities the tools to be successful at their jobs shows you care about them as an individual rather than just another cog in your machine. For example, to help deaf workers communicate better, you can provide teletype (TTY) communication devices.
6. Encourage Employee Feedback
Employees want to know that they are appreciated and that what they are doing matters, so it is important for managers to encourage feedback through anonymous surveys or polls so that ideas are not lost by employees fearing repercussions from communicating openly. When managers facilitate open dialogue between themselves and their employees, trust will build better communication within the workplace, improving staff morale.
7. Hold ‘Wrap Up’ Meetings to Discuss Ongoing Projects or Issues
Sometimes an issue will become too large for one staff meeting, so it is important to hold more frequent meetings with your employees on at least a monthly basis, possibly bi-weekly or weekly depending on the situation, to discuss ongoing projects and issues that may need more attention by managers. These types of interactions allow employees to address problems head-on rather than let them linger beneath the surface where they may fester into bigger issues. Providing assistance right away goes a long way with keeping motivation high among your team members, ensuring everyone’s continued success come award season.
8. Celebrate Successes
Everyone makes mistakes, but celebrating successes will help foster strong relationships among employees. They will feel like they trust each other more once they know that their managers see all their efforts, even if it means making mistakes.
Celebrating successes with your employees not only shows them how much they are appreciated but also provides motivation for future success as well.
A company’s greatest asset is its employees. Most people work at one place versus another to feel valued within an organization that has excellent communication between managers and their staff. It can be challenging to achieve this balance because of busy schedules or lack of talent. Still, if you follow these tips about improving employee engagement levels at your workplace, you will surely see results.
