15 Tips For Employee Engagement

When your employees come in bright and early and with a smile (even though no one is looking), they work all day with ease and have time to get a drink with their co-workers after shift. You just might have engaged employees. They are great for your overall company effort.

Engaged employees are those that enjoy their work, they know that their suggestions are being heard and that the company values their input. 

If you want more engaged employees, enjoy these

15 Tips For Employee Engagement

1. Empower People

Employees are adults who want to be treated as such. They want to make decisions, take responsibility for their actions, and understand the consequences of their actions. When employees are micro-managed, they lose interest in what they do because the work becomes less about them and more about their manager. Help your employees to take responsibility for themselves and initiate action by giving them the freedom to make their own decisions and choose how they want to work from day to day.

2. Be Accountable

When people feel empowered in an organization, they become accountable. This can mean that the team member who always shows up late and leaves early, the boss’s nephew who has ideas but not really a job, and the CEO who talks about equality while promoting his or her friends.

3. Ask For Input

Ask your employees to tell you what is working, and what isn’t. Be proactive in soliciting their feedback. Your employees will know better than you about your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. When you ignore their feedback, they disengage.

4. Ask for Solutions Not Complaints

Having your employees come up with solutions to issues is more empowering than having them simply tell you what’s wrong. Even coming up with solutions that are not used can be rewarding if the employee understands and accepts why that solution doesn’t work.

5. Strategy is Everyone’s Business

If your management team is looking to diversify its products, you might want to involve your employees in that process. They know the frontline issues and can help you create and develop your strategy. They'll be excited about their future if they're involved in big-picture planning.

6. Tell Stories

By telling stories about why the company does what it does, how it is being successful, and how its people make a difference, you can help to engage your employees with their own mission. This engagement with story helps engagement with your people.

7. Celebrate

Don't just talk about your failures—give praise to the things that went right and celebrate the successes. Take time to recognize the hard work of others, not just for a holiday card but on a regular basis. Don't just give a gift card to Starbucks but tell someone how much you appreciate them by throwing them a pizza party or patting them on the back. These celebrations are meaningful because they are authentic and heartfelt.

8. Reward

Make sure your salaries and wages are competitive or higher than industry standards, and if they are not, why not? For example, you may be a start-up with huge potential for growth so an employee takes a hit on money now to get a leg up in the future. Remember to think about bonuses, profit sharing, spot awards, productivity or innovation prizes as part of a rewards program. Not thinking about rewards can cause problems with engagement.

9. Think Future

The present is now, but the future can be even more exciting.  Be honest, open and authentic with talking about possibilities.

10. Share Your Vision

Share where you see your company would be. Your team and employees may get the same excitement as you do.

11. Talk About Your Purpose

What is the “why” behind your company. Share this with your team and make them feel a part of it. 

12. Involve People

Get your peoples opinions, and allow them to help make decisions for the company. Recognize their contribution if their opinion helped.

13. Be Fair To Everyone

Your company is made of different departments, different groups, different teams. There will be those that have a direct effect on your product, like sales, and those that don’t, like accounting or HR. Make sure to reward everyone. They are a part of your whole.

14. Create Trust

Employees look up to their leaders, they are not only held high because of their station, but also because of their words and actions. Leaders need to do act on their promises, and if they can’t, they owe their employees an explanation.

15.  Be Nice

It’s easy to get over-worked. Barking orders and mission targets can be at times stressful, and you may end up with demoralized employees.  Be nice, but hold your employees accountable. Look for a quick connect to your employees, ask about their team in their fave sport, maybe how they’re recovering from the sniffles, give out birthday greetings and maybe a cake!

Keeping your employees engaged and motivated is a small price for their loyalty and commitment to your cause and company. Being engaged is the start of an employee-centered culture that will take your team far and beyond.