Today employee engagement has emerged as one of the key strategies for organizations to have an edge over the competition. Hence organizations need to look at how to improve employee engagement effectively.
Employee engagement goes beyond organizing occasional get-togethers for the workforce or offering them rewards for their good work.
Employee Engagement is more about implementing strategies that enhance an employee’s sense of belonging to the organization.
It is also about making the employees believe in the future of the organization and contributing towards the same with their full potential.
Having the right engagement strategies in place is essential for organizations looking to develop a highly productive and efficient workforce.
While the engagement needs of every workforce may vary, some common strategies prove equally effective in all work environments.
A few effective strategies that can go a long way in improving employee motivation levels are discussed here:
1. Ensure a great onboarding experience
2. Provide relevant career development opportunities
3. Empower employees to discover their potential
4. Appreciate their individual and combined achievements
5. Promote open, honest, and transparent communication
Making a good first impression is the key to ensuring high employee engagement levels from day one.
A great onboarding experience assures the employees that the organization truly cares about the members of its workforce.
It also helps in establishing the right mindset and makes them feel involved with the organization from the very beginning.
Such employees are more likely to develop a deep sense of belonging and loyalty quite early on and stay with them for a long time.
Organizations need to understand that the individual members of the workforce have specific professional skills and career development objectives.
Offering appropriate career development opportunities to employees can boost their sense of engagement.
When employees are provided with career paths for professional growth that match their skill sets and experience, they feel truly valued.
This significantly motivates them to improve their contribution to the growth of the business.
Discovering their true potential is the key to providing employees with the right career growth opportunities.
For this, organizations need to empower employees and enable them to discover what they are capable of.
A good example would be to assign projects and tasks that are slightly beyond their usual capabilities and comfort level. Hence, this helps in building the confidence of the employees and improving their sense of self-worth and trust.
Empowering employees also requires managers and supervisors to take a step back and stop micromanaging and let them make their own decisions while supporting them as required.
It might also mean tolerating small failures sometimes and preparing them for bigger challenges.
Recognizing the efforts and achievements of the employees is an essential aspect of boosting engagement.
In addition to appreciating individual employees, organizations also need to have policies for recognizing team efforts and achievements.
However, recognition and appreciation prove effective only when it is offered on time and in a regular manner.
It is also important for organizations to remember that the most expensive rewards and cash incentives cannot always guarantee results.
Rather it is the intent behind employee recognition and how it is delivered that matters the most.
Honest and transparent communication at the workplace is another effective strategy that can help improve employee engagement.
It is not only about sharing important information with employees but also listening to their views and opinions.
Implementing this strategy helps in strengthening the mutual trust between employees and the management.
This two-way communication is one of the most critical aspects of building strong employee engagement in the organization.
Creating a workplace where the employees are highly engaged and motivated can ensure greater benefits for both the business and the individual members of the workforce.
The strategies above can go a long way in creating a major competitive advantage for the business.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurship experience. In the past, Sagar has worked with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank, in leadership roles. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
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