Engaged, diligent and motivated employees are essential when it comes to operating a successful and profitable business. Employees that are highly engaged create a positive workplace culture, which subsequently leads to increased productivity, in addition to greater customer satisfaction and improved loyalty and staff retention.
This sounds easy, but keeping employees engaged is one of the greatest challenges business owners and managers face in day-to-day business operations. So how do business owners and managers continue to motivate employees? We take a look at 5 elements and strategies that boost employee engagement, that can help your business grow and experience continued success.
Empty space, drag to resize
When it comes to employee engagement, Trust is critically important. If an employee doesn’t trust you as a manager or business owner and doesn’t feel a connection to the business and the work they are doing, then they are less likely to remain engaged.
For managers and business owners, trust can be developed through establishing a good rapport with employees, breaking down the hierarchy that often divides and creating equality within the business. Just like establishing a connection with your customers, establishing a sound rapport with your employees will help them to feel, needed, wanted and important to the business, all of which improves engagement.
Strategies to achieve trust include, consistent communication including active listening, open door policies where managers and senior employees are seen to be approachable and creating a culture that is team focused.
Business owners and managers often place great emphasis on communication when it comes to customer engagement, however, communication is equally, if not more important when it comes to boosting employee engagement. After all a business is only as good as it’s people!
Communicating with your employees, actively listening to their concerns, and taking on board their feedback and suggestions, not only creates a trust culture, but also aids in establishing an effective and collaborative team, whereby the whole team is contributing to success. Encouraging employees to speak freely, also assists in identifying areas of weakness, which can be improved.
Communication also enables business owners and managers an opportunity to get to know their employees, what motivates them, and what the business could do better to assist in retaining engagement.
Effective communication strategies can include regular team check-in meetings and tool-box style talks. However, the best communication strategy is one that is planned, direct, transparent, and inclusive.
Autonomy in the workplace is directly linked to job satisfaction and leads to employees feeling empowered. When employees can take charge and be in control of their environment, as opposed to having it be controlled for them, they are likely to be more productive, motivated, and engaged.
Having employees feel more responsible can lead to them feeling more satisfied in their working environment, experiencing feelings of accomplishment, which significantly increases productivity and leads to greater levels of motivation and engagement.
Strategies that business owners and managers can use to create autonomy in the workplace is to make a change in leadership styles, being less authoritative, using effective communication and trust to allow employees the freedom to blossom in their roles.
Whilst it is always great for employees to be commended for great performance by their superiors, recognition from peers can have a more significant impact in terms of boosting engagement.
For high preforming employees implementing a peer-to-peer recognition program within your business, ensures that these individuals feel important and recognised for their efforts. It also has the effect of motivating employees who are not performing as that same high level to do better, increase their performance to keep up with their colleagues.
Finally, another key strategy to boost employee engagement is creating learning and continuing education opportunities within your business.
When employees are provided with an opportunity to increase or further their skills in a supported environment, they are more likely to remain satisfied in their roles. This can create a sense of pride and with this type of support they are more likely to not only remain engaged, but also loyal to the business.
Whilst many businesses make the mistake of trying to buy their employees, by increasing a wage slightly or offering financial incentives, businesses who think outside the box and look at the non-financial strategies that can assist in boosting employee engagement are more likely to experience long term success.
Why not implement one of our employee engagement strategies in your business today!
