There is a big difference between a contented employee and an engaged employee; an engaged employee is committed to the organisation, they understand the organisation’s mission and goals and are driven to work towards them within their individual positions.
Some companies have a specific strategy, however there are 5 easy steps that you can implement on a daily basis:
- Ask your employees about their opinions; this can either be in a group forum or a one-on-one discussion. This makes your employees feel that you care and value what they have to say, it gives them the confidence to speak their minds in a safe environment and encourages them to make a difference.
- Show genuine interest in your employees, have a walk around and talk to them, get to know them as people, get to know their family life, their hobbies. You may just find that you have something in common. Listen to them as individuals.
- Acknowledge and even reward employees that put in the effort and work hard. It doesn’t have to be huge, just tell them that they have done a great job, or a “wow” on completing a project. They will feel that their hard work is being acknowledged and that they are not being taken for granted.
- Respect and trust your employees, let them see a project through to completion; there is nothing worse than working on a project and then it is taken away by someone more experienced. Trust them to complete the project from the start to finish.
- Make the workplace fun and rewarding; this doesn’t have to be major, just a little reward every quarter: have a fun committee, organise fun events this gives them time to relax and get to know their team mates in a relaxed environment.
Engaged employees work harder towards the goals of the company, they want to see what they can do to take the company to the next level. Ensure that your entire employee base is not just content but also engaged.