Encourage employee engagement

Employee engagement is more vital than ever before to a business’s success and competitive advantage. Employees have greater flexibility on where, when and how they are working, so businesses need to keep their workers motivated and engaged. It is also more cost efficient for businesses to retain valuable employees, rather than having to pay the prices associated with recruiting new workers.

There are many factors that can impact an employee’s engagement; however, there are three key drivers. Engagement is affected by the employee’s:

• relationship with the immediate supervisor

• belief in senior leadership

• pride in working for the company

Traditional employee engagement programs involved surveys and reports which quizzed employees on whether they found their work meaningful, and were engaged in what they were doing for the business. However, employee engagement should be a stronger focus in business. It should not be a monthly survey; instead it should be a goal that managers and employers work towards every day. There are four key areas that managers and employers can focus on daily to encourage employee engagement:

• treat all employees with respect

• give credit when it is due

• communicate clearly, consistently and often

• offer benefits