Employee Engagement: Strategies to improve employee engagement

Contrary to popular belief, employee engagement isn’t just about frequent PR and doctored speech. Companies must learn that it has much more to do with the daily promotion of staff and the smallest gestures.

To help in this task, below we outline some
employee engagement
strategies that successful managers use to engage their employees.

1. Engage employees

Workers want to feel that they are truly involved in a company, which influences the change of mentality and makes a valuable contribution to the success of the entire team. The more involved employees feel, the more likely they are to put their creativity at the service of the organization. You never know what great ideas are hiding behind an unmotivated employee.

2. Trust the template

At this point it is worth asking if we trust employees, or on the contrary we micromanage them throughout the day. The first thing is to hire fantastic people and then let them do their job. Increased supervision and responsibility for them will not increase their productivity. It is these who should care about the results and be proud of the successes.

3. Don’t ridicule bad ideas

Not everyone can have great ideas all the time, but it is very important to maintain an open atmosphere in which good or bad alternatives are at least welcome. It is not enough just to reward great initiatives, but we must respect the creative process and the contribution of all members. Otherwise, people will close themselves off in team meetings and at those times when their expertise is needed.

4. Reward employees

This one is pretty obvious: we all like to be rewarded for our good behavior. However, that doesn’t mean we have to dole out salary raises anyway, offer big bonuses, or even take the whole team out to eat at an expensive restaurant.
A reward can be something as simple as a sincere “thank you” for a job well done. It could take only 5 minutes and be in a format like a short email. Without a doubt, this is a big difference in team culture.
Other forms of reward are letting them leave early on Friday, mentioning them on LinkedIn, etc.

5. Celebrate successes

In the same vein, a good boss who wants to increase employee engagement will not only recognize the successes of his employees, but also celebrate them, whether large or small, simple or complex.
From reaching a team goal to onboarding a new client, take a moment to recognize the success of the workforce. The successes of the team are the pantry from which the company is nourished.

6. Set smart goals

Before setting goals for any of our employees, we need to make sure they are smart and:

• Specific. We must be clear and detailed. The employee must understand the objective.
• Measurable. How will we know if a goal has been met? The key is clarity and betting on some mathematically translatable supervision system.
• Achievable. Setting goals that employees can’t achieve will frustrate and demotivate them.
• Relevant. They must represent a goal of the employee’s position.
• Time-based. Realistic deadlines must be set.

Needless to say, deadlines and targets will, on some occasions, be missed, even by the most important staff members. We should not be too harsh, but find out what went wrong and try to fix the problem instead of focusing on who is to blame.

7. Periodic evaluations

How often do we sit down, one-on-one, with workers and review their performance, either formally or informally? Unfortunately, meeting once a year is not going to be enough to compose a highly engaged workforce. Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly reviews increase productivity, because employees know exactly what is expected and when. Thus, any problem is solved immediately. In addition, everyone wants to know if they are on the right track or not.

8. Be positive

During those performance reviews, it’s crucial to maintain a positive attitude and not damage the employee’s self-esteem. Positivity begets positivity. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t offer constructive criticism. Together, boss and employee, you can find ways to improve, progress and grow.
If we can’t think of any positives to cite in a review with a particular staff member, it may be time to consider their place in the business. Yes, it’s important to focus on the positives, but if there aren’t…

9. Fight for employees

Workplace complaints occur when managers fail to stand up for the team, even though they sometimes have to discipline their staff. It is highly recommended to support subordinate employees, especially when other staff members (probably their superiors) treat them unfairly. Failure to do so can be interpreted as weakness, resulting in a loss of respect.
Trust is a two-way street. However, the workforce is much more likely to work hard for their boss if they see that we work hard for them.

10. Request feedback

Asking the team how they’re feeling lately can open the door to opportunities for improvement. Most managers completely forget or deliberately avoid asking their employees for their feedback. Especially when they feel a little guilty about the performance of the staff.
Asking a simple question could be a very powerful weapon against employee disengagement . We must not bury our heads in the sand; You have to figure out what’s going on in the team’s mind to give them what they need.
In short, it is highly recommended for business owners and managers to apply these and other employee engagement strategies to increase the commitment of their employees. The reward is a team truly aligned with the organization’s goals.