Employee Engagement 101: Tips and Best Practices

When it comes to employee engagement, many company executives are scratching their heads. Employee engagement is on the rise, but there are still many employees who aren’t engaged. We have to improve engagement at work.

What Is Employee Engagement?

Before we begin talking about how to improve employee engagement, let’s start with the basics. Employee engagement can be broken into three categories:

  1. Engaged: Employees who go above and beyond the call of duty and job description because they love what they do.

  2. Not Engaged: An employee who isn’t engaged is just so-so. They put in the hours required of them, they don’t cause a fuss, but you can tell they could be happier at work.

  3. Actively Disengaged: Actively disengaged employees are harmful because they take their disengagement to the next level. They negatively impact company morale, and they are horrible employees to be around.


Why Is Employee Engagement Important?

In an ideal world, your company is filled with employees who love what they do. Employee engagement impacts your employees, their relationship with customers, and the work they produce. If you can build a company full of engaged employees, your organization will run like a well-oiled machine.


5 Tips For Improving Employee Engagement

Now that you know why employee engagement is important, let’s cover some great tips for improving employee engagement.


1. Start Your Employee Relationship On The Right Foot

Employees should be engaged from the moment they sign their contract with your organization. Improve employee engagement by taking those first few days, weeks, and months seriously.

     Connect with new employees early and often.

     Make sure new employees have what they need to be successful.

     Create a mentorship program to help their transition go even smoother.


2. Don’t Be Afraid Of Special Interest Groups

Special interest groups like a group for women or people of color naturally pop up. Some organization leaders shy away from these groups because it makes them feel awkward or slighted. These groups help your employees connect with the organization and should be left to flourish.


3. Live Your Company Values

Your company values attract employees. Where many companies falter is by having a set of values they don’t live by. You have to walk the walk when it comes to the values you list on your employer website. For example, if your company value is being a thoughtful listener, you need to show that to your employees.


4. Make Tough Decisions

Firing employees is never easy, especially when that employee is a manager or has a lot of responsibility. Those same managers could also be the cause of a lot of pain and suffering that causes employees to be disengaged. If one person is causing that much damage at work, it might make sense to let them go for the organization’s greater good. Make sure that your employees feel like you have their best interest at heart.


5. Find Measurables You Can Share With Your Team

Measurables allow you to justify the changes you are making to your team and the way they work. It can be difficult to measure employee engagement because it’s subjective. Employee engagement is a feeling, and it relies on your employees measuring their performance and joy at work. One of the best ways to measure employee engagement is through frequent surveys of your team. Use a tool like Levy Recognition’s Elevate platform to help measure engagement with your employees.

Employee engagement is a challenge for many organizations. Building a more engaged workforce is a net positive for any organization, but it takes time, patience, and leadership to accomplish. With these tips in mind, you will be well on your way to creating an engaged organization in no time.

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