Employee engagement seems simple, but is an incredibly complex and important concept for organization success. According to Gallup, only 15% of employees are engaged at work, which is a serious issue because it leads to the loss of $550 billion in production every year.
Employee engagement is defined as an employee who is emotionally invested in committing their time, talent, and energy to the company. Identifying which employees are not emotionally engaged can be difficult because these employees tend to be happy. The key to look for is who does the bare minimum of work and who goes above and beyond to connect with clients and other employees.
The issue of employee engagement can cost a company greatly, but does not cost much to rectify. Here are some cost-effective tips on how your management team can increase employee engagement.
1. Put everyone in the right role. This is crucial because if an employee feels as though they do not fit in their position, they will most likely not try as much. This comes down to the management to hire the best fit for the job and the employee themselves to speak up if they feel they are not in the best position.
2. Give them training. Once an employee is where they want and need to be, training is a key resources that can be used for the employee to thrive.
3. Provide task meaningful work. One way to really motivate employees to become engaged is to give them work that is important to them. When an employee feels as though they are just given busy work or work that they do not see has a purpose, they are likely to get disengaged quickly.
4. Give individual attention and check in often. Communicate with the employee one on one to make sure they still like what they are doing and have all the resources they need. This will harbor trust between the manager and employee, which will also increase engagement. These meetings can be informal and only last a few minutes; they will not cost any money and will keep employees motivated.
5. Put on social events for all employees. Social events, casual or formal, gives the employees a chance to get to know their peers and superiors better. These events will also associate work with enjoyment and will provide increased engagement.
6. Recognize employees for their accomplishments. This recognition can be formal and in front of the whole company or department, or informal conversations at meetings or passing by. Employees like to be told they are doing a good job and appreciate the appreciation. For this small act, employees will want to work harder in order to meet these achievements regularly.
Employee engagement costs businesses a great deal of money, which is a shame when the solution is so simple. The process to improve employee engagement is long-term and needs to be watched over frequently, but if done, will improve engagement greatly. These low cost methods will make the employees, management, and company more successful in the long run.