How to Increase Employee Engagement

If your company is anything like the average organization, about 13 percent of your employees are engaged. That number comes from a worldwide Gallop poll called “State of the Global Workplace” that shed light on the fact that although companies may believe the majority of their employees are actively engaged, in reality it’s more likely that approximately one in eight are. In fact, one of the most shocking finding was that 24 percent of employees are actively disengaged, meaning they are unproductive and unhappy. RELATED VIDEO: Encourage Employee Feedback Working to create engaged employees can seem like you’re climbing a mountain, but one of the great things about climbing a mountain is that the view from the top is so worth it. Imagine an organization where the majority of employees truly are engaged – your company will be more productive, experience less turnover and be more successful. Challenge your people The problem with being challenged at work is that all too often, employees are at one end of the spectrum or the other. They’re either under challenged and bored in their positions or they’re stretched too thin and can’t master any one part of their job because there are a hundred other aspects they must rush to get to. When employees are adequately challenged, they find that sweet spot where they can realistically achieve goals and be proud of their work but without having time to get bored. To set the right goals, you may want to look at where employees are currently performing and bump it up slightly from there. However, take a look at the entire picture and see if there’s a reason many are underperforming, such as having too large of a workload. Make sure that when you set goals, you’re not setting your employees up for failure. Help employees achieve success One of the best things you can do for your employees is to help them achieve professional success. Not only does this get employees more involved in the day-to-day actions to work toward success, but it also pays off for companies that are willing to go the extra mile. As your employees are more successful in their job, your organization is more successful. It’s important to set goals and benchmarks for employees to work towards, but helping employees achieve success goes far beyond simply asking them to reach a goal and extends to providing them with assistance to meet those goals. It could be through training, continuing education or ensuring adequate staffing, but it will most likely come in the form of an investment from you that will pay off in the long run. Start from the top A commitment to engagement starts from the top but must be implemented on every level, which is typically where problems arise. To be truly successful in your effort to engage employees, it’s vital that every level in the company buys into the idea. Without inspiration and a source of accountability from your organization’s leader, managers likely won’t put in the work to make it a reality, but without the daily efforts from managers who believe in what they’re doing, it’s just a great idea. If you are committed to seeing a change in engagement, a kick off party can create buzz and excitement, give your leader an opportunity to talk to managers about why it’s vital to the success of the company and give managers an opportunity to learn techniques and tactics to reach a higher level of engagement. What changes have you made in your company to increase employee engagement?