3 Ways to Boost Employee Engagement
Identifying the key signs of low EE and suggestions on how to increase it
Mir Muhammad Ali
Why Engagement?
Just imagine any machine like a car that needs all functions to work in sync so that the car can performs smoothly and optimally. It’s the engagement of all parts of the vehicle that makes it move. Even one small screw can bring it to a standstill.
Similarly an organisation commercial or otherwise functions properly when there is an engagement of factors like mission, vision, human capital, financial resources and so on.
Human capital is the core of any organisation and indeed a catalyst which enables all resources to work to achieves organisational mission and vision. If this centrepiece is not fully engaged then the organisation will have bottlenecks in achieving its true potential.
Signs of Low Employee Engagement
1. High employee turnover
Typical low engagement is linked to frequent exits of staff specially the high performers. When good staff leaves they often take away other staff as well. The replacement cost in terms of time and money can retard organizational performance.
2. Low employee morale
Organizations performing below its potential can result in low employee engagement. The leadership is unable to properly motivate staff through a fair and transparent compensation and accountability model. The disengagement due to this can affect serving customers with zeal and exceeding their expectations.
3. Teamwork and collaboration
When there are few super stars in the company and they dominate the proceedings then teamwork goes astray. When teamwork is weak the organisation does not work like a well-oiled machine and hence the engagement goes down. Especially for service oriented organisations teamwork is one critical piece which can make or break a company.
3 Ways to Boost Employee Engagement
1. Work on the culture
Employees typically spend more time at work than home. In order to leverage employee performance organisations should have a culture which supports and elevates employee performance.
Culture is foundation to a high performing company and a culture based on strong ethics, respect, integrity and kindness can work wonders irrespective of organization size.
2. Start from the top
Leadership is the catalyst which uplifts any company. If the leaders are not ‘walking the talk’ it weakens employees resolve and efficacy of leadership goes down. Leadership at all level matters as the message has to trickle down properly. Leadership has to command respect and love from followers without any exercise of power.
One main driving force for any company is the passion of its work force and this passion and burning desire to succeed can only be instilled by leadership through unity in words and actions.
3. Treat employees as capital not resources
As Richard Branson once said ‘Not customers, employees are the king’; an employee-focused company which cares for the growth and development of its key capital can be the market leader as the workforce is motivated and aligned with corporate goals.
If the employees perceive they are being used to just generate results it can have a devastating impact and likely to result in loss of high performers.
Employee engagement is not just the responsibility of management but all should play a role in this by taking ownership and this ownership can be a building block to a long and successful career.