One of the biggest challenges for business owners is trying to keep employees engaged.
According to a recent report from Gallup, despite a steady rise in employee engagement over the last decade, between 2019 and 2020, it decreased by about two points.
This dip is certainly not a surprise, considering everything that’s happened between 2019 and today.
But even with the uptick in engagement throughout the 2010s, in 2020, employee engagement was still sitting at a dismal 20 percent, meaning only about two out of every ten employees feel engaged at work.
Eighty percent of respondents said they’re either not engaged or actively disengaged at work, and according to Gallup’s estimate, this lack of engagement is costing the global economy US$8.1 trillion due to lost productivity.
So, if you feel like your employees are lacking engagement, and you want to learn more about the impact this can have on your business, then keep reading.
In this article, I’m going to explain what employee engagement is, why it’s so important, and provide some simple tips to help you ensure your employees feel good about what they do.
What is Employee Engagement?
While you might think this term simply refers to whether or not someone likes their job, the truth is, employee engagement is actually a heck of a lot more than that.
Besides just liking your job, this term refers to a whole range of issues for employees and the businesses they work for, including:
- If they feel motivated to do their job
- Whether they’re able to maintain productivity
- If they understand the objectives and goals of the company
- How committed they are to working towards those goals
- Whether they’re aligned with the values of the company
- How they feel about their superiors and the way they interact with them
I could go into more detail, but this should give you an idea of what this term means, and why employee engagement is so important.
Why is Employee Engagement so Important?
I’m sure there are many business owners out there who think this is just a bunch of HR mumbo jumbo, but that view couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fact is, regardless of what industry you’re in, or how many people you have on your payroll, if your employees are just coasting through their work and waiting for their paycheck, it’s going to be bad for your business.
What do I mean by that?
Well, if an employee doesn’t like their job, doesn’t align with the values of your company, doesn’t feel motivated to do their work, and couldn’t care less about productivity, then guess what?
They’re going to coast through their work at the slowest pace possible, do nothing but the bare minimum, and they’re not going to give a damn about whether your business succeeds or fails.
That being said, I don’t care who you are, or what kind of business you own, if you have employees with that kind of attitude, it’s going to have a negative impact on your business.
And that right there should tell you everything you need to know.
How to Improve Employee Engagement
So, now that you know what employee engagement is, and why it’s so important, you’re probably thinking, “Man, I’ve got to do something about this, and quick!”
At the same time, you’re probably wondering how you can go about doing that.
Luckily for you, there’s a lot you can do, it’s not rocket science, and it’s not going to break your bank account, either.
If you want to learn more, then keep reading because below, I’ve laid out five simple tips to help you ensure your employees stay engaged.
Stay Interviews
In order to keep employees engaged, and retain more of your top performers, you should make a habit of conducting stay interviews at regular intervals.
If you’re not quite sure what a stay interview is, in a nutshell, it refers to interviewing your current employees to get feedback from them, both good and bad, in an effort to understand why these people have chosen to stay with your organization, and what might make them want to leave.
It can provide invaluable insight into the minds of your employees, and help you to understand what changes you can make to motivate and inspire them to feel good about the work they’re doing.
If you want to learn more, check out my Free Interview Guidebook. It contains a ton of valuable information to help you conduct any kind of interview more efficiently and effectively.
Personality Assessments
This one might seem like it’s a little out of left field, but trust me on this.
Personality assessments can help you understand things like why some employees seem so disengaged, whether someone is a bad fit for a specific job, and if they might end up doing better in a different position.
Hiring someone to do these personality assessments with every member of your team can help you address many of the engagement issues you’re having, especially when it comes to things like productivity.
Who knows? You might find that one of your managers isn’t cut out for a leadership position, another member of your team might be better suited, and both of them would be a lot happier if they switched places.
Making these kinds of changes could be a total game-changer for your organization, both in terms of the engagement of your employees, and the overall success of your business.
Recognition & Appreciation
This should seem obvious, but sadly, a lot of business owners don’t even consider this sort of thing.
You might think it’s too expensive, or just a waste of time, but it can actually have a significant effect on whether your employees feel engaged or not.
At the end of the day, everything you do to show appreciation and recognition of your employees is going to make them feel more positive about you, your business, and the work that they’re doing.
There’s a lot you can do in this respect, including things like:
- Having an employee of the month award
- Sending out birthday or anniversary cards
- Letting employees go early every now and then
- Giving employees a paid day off on their birthday
- Ordering food for your team every once in a while
- Treating your team to activities like concerts or sporting events
It might not seem like a lot, but believe me, these gestures can make a huge difference in terms of the loyalty, motivation, and engagement of your employees.
Getting to Know Your Employees
It may sound cheesy, but it never hurts to get to know your employees a bit better.
You don’t have to make it a formal thing and force every employee to sit down with you once a month and talk about their personal lives, but anything’s better than nothing, and it takes minimal effort.
Just spend some time talking to your employees whenever you can.
Catch them at the water cooler and strike up a conversation, or sit down with that new hire on lunch and pick their brain a bit. Don’t pry too much, but try to move beyond the mundane and show that you’re actually interested in what they’re telling you.
If an employee does confide in you about a problem they’re having, for instance, this is a perfect chance to establish an emotional connection with them and help them feel more engaged by letting them know that you care.
Clearly Defined Goals & Objectives
One of the major reasons for the lack of engagement we’re seeing today is that many employees don’t understand the goals and objectives of the organizations they work for.
If these things were properly explained to them, as silly as it might sound, it could have a major influence on their level of engagement.
So, make sure you have clearly defined goals and objectives that are easy to understand and communicated to employees in a way that’s relevant to them.
In addition, you should ensure that the goals and objectives of your business are on display for everyone to see.
Don’t just hide them in the employee handbook.
These aspirations should be proudly displayed on the walls of your office, blazoned across your company vehicles, and even printed on the business cards you give your employees.
The more clearly communicated and visible they are, the more of an effect they’re going to have.
Do you feel like your employees are less than engaged? Do you need help inspiring a sense of trust, motivation, and purpose for the people you work with? I can help you come up with solid strategies to improve the engagement of your employees, which is bound to benefit your business. Schedule your free consultation today and let’s get started.
Business Leadership, Team Management