Employee engagement can be viewed as both a tangible and intangible benefit. Shrm.org defines employee engagement as a concept that measures an employee’s connection to an organization. Some see employee engagement as an employee’s emotional commitment to an organization, while others measure it to increase productivity. When there is positive employee engagement, both commitment and increased productivity are usually present. Organizations will also see a strong sense of job satisfaction, improved employee camaraderie, amplified sense of value, increased trust, and happier employees. 

There are different ways to measure an employee’s engagement, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. An employee who is engaged with their job, and organization, will be more productive and satisfied with their work, resulting in a better work environment for both the employee and employer.

To be effective organization-wide, starting the process of building employee engagement must be led by senior leadership. In addition, it requires a thoughtful strategic plan. While it may take a little work to initiate, the rewards will outweigh the planning and implementation process. Some tips for managing and engaging employees are provided below.

Tips for managing and engaging employees

• Create a culture of trust.
• Keep communication open, particularly with employees who are new to the company.
• Give employees opportunities for feedback and input into decisions that affect them.
• Recognize individual contributions. 
• Address employee concerns immediately. 
• Treat all employees as equals.
•  Set expectations and follow-through.
• Establish a clear, honest feedback loop. 
• Provide ongoing training and development opportunities.
• Make an effort to know your employees, learning what they care about, their interests, and their passions.
• Engage all employees in company decisions.

Ways to increase employee satisfaction and motivation

A few concrete ways that organizations can increase employee satisfaction, and motivation are:

Training and Development

Employees need to know that the company appreciates their efforts. A small investment in training can go a long way in improving employee satisfaction, motivation, and retention. Provide your employees with the tools they need to do their job better or train them on new skills so that they can be promoted within the company. 

Diversity in Decision Making Process

Employee engagement increases when decision-making is more transparent and inclusive. Employees feel engaged when they have a say in how things are run. Give employees opportunities to sit on committees or develop creative solutions to work issues themselves, rather than just implementing top-down directives from management. Encourage employees to make suggestions for how to improve work processes.

Rewards and Recognition

Employee engagement is greatly influenced by the company’s rewards and recognition programs. Rewarding employees for their contributions can positively affect morale, build strong relationships between leadership and employees, motivate people to do even better work, and help retain talented staff members. Think about what motivates your employees, and consider what types of rewards they would value. Then try to come up with a system that can be implemented throughout the organization. 

How are organizations engaging their employees?

Many firms are making changes to engage their employees. For example, Xerox focuses more on employee satisfaction, while Adobe tries to make the workplace culture more inclusive. Hewlett-Packard is taking an alternative approach by working to build the skills of its employees. The company’s new CEO wants to make HP a “learning organization” where everyone is committed to continuous development and growing their competencies.  Employee engagement is not only good for the employer; it’s great for the employee. It truly is a win-win situation. Employee engagement has been shown to improve organizational performance and individual well-being, and it can save employers time and money in the long run. So, what are you waiting for? Implement some of these tips today!