How to Engage Employees
Let your employees make small decisions., Encourage your employees to contribute solutions and ideas for any company issues and problems., Involve your employees in different assignments, tasks, and projects., If possible, implement your employees’...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Let your employees make small decisions.
To engage your employees, you need to first empower them by allowing them to make decisions, much like a partner in your business.
This could be giving certain approvals, leading small meetings or setting up sessions without asking for sign off from management.As a manager, you will need to present certain guidelines around this, of course.
But this will enable employees to be a part of the management process, so you can make joint decisions together.
Treating each employee as a valuable member of the team will motivate them to put forth their best effort on a consistent basis. -
Step 2: Encourage your employees to contribute solutions and ideas for any company issues and problems.
For example, to discuss how to increase sales for exceeding quarterly targets, you can organize a session where employees team-up to present possible solutions and ideas to improve sales.
The manager of the sales department can act as a facilitator to keep the discussion on track.
This way, your employees get a chance to bring their unique voice to solving business problems., This will make them feel that you value their involvement and contribution to a high level discussion and allow them to illustrate their expertise and talent., This will show them in a tangible way that their contributions and support matters to the company’s growth and that as a manager you take their ideas seriously. , Just as you notice what your employees do and say, your employees will notice whether or not you keep your promises and care about their ideas.Employees will be more committed to you and the company when they see you live up to your promises.
So keep your promises to your employees, even if they seem small or minor.
For example, if an employee approaches you for guidance or support while you’re busy, and you promise to get back to them when you have a free moment, follow through and help the employee at a later date.
If you forget and the employee reminds you of your promise, but you make an excuse that you are too busy or you just don’t have the time, this could affect the employee’s morale and level of trust and respect for you. , The company’s plan of action should indicate where the business is headed and what role each employee is going to play to get there.
It is unreasonable to expect your employees to work effectively when they do not know what they are working towards.
Being transparent and open about the company's overall plan will communicate to your employees that you trust them.
Your employees should have no suspicion or confusion about management in any way.
If there is a lack of trust or suspicion of bias, they will likely lose interest in their work and feel uncomfortable communicating their ideas. , In a dynamic organization, employees must stay on top of their daily responsibilities.
But your employees can only perform well when they know and understand their role in the company’s overall vision.
One on one meetings will also let your employees know if they performing above or below your expectations.
Otherwise, your employees will not be aware they may need to adjust their behavior.
Keep these meetings open and inviting, and be clear about your expectations.
The one on one meeting is a way to also bring to the surface any challenges the employee might be facing that hinders their ability to perform daily tasks.
These meeting should be frequent and focus on biweekly or monthly goals. , Assign specific tasks to each employee but make sure the task falls within the employee's skill set and job description.
As a manager, simply assigning tasks to your employees is not enough; your employees should understand exactly what they need to do and have the necessary tools and training so they are engaged in a task, rather than just doing it for the sake of checking one more task off their list.
For example, filing for taxes sounds like a simple task.
In fact, this seemingly simple task involves collecting data from every department in the company, consolidating the accounts, and then having someone prepare them according to a format; it becomes clear that multiple people and skill sets are involved in completing this task. , A goal that is not realistic or too broad or vague will have a demotivating effect on your employees.
You want your employees to reach the end of their work day feeling like they accomplished small goals, instead of feeling like they will never achieve a larger, more intimidating goal.
For example, being one of the top ten distributors in a market with hundreds of competitors is an unrealistic goal for a small, growing business.
It might be more effective to focus on improving the company’s quarterly sales or improving the company’s distributor's list for the year. , These “small goals” can be monthly or quarterly targets.
Clearly link these targets to a long term mission.
Employees will be highly engaged knowing that their efforts are directly contributing to the company’s mission., This will allow your employees to get direct feedback from management as to how close or far they are to achieving their goals.
Set aside the time to tell employees what they doing right and where they need to improve on.Nothing engages an employee like the prospect of a raise or appreciation in an upcoming review, so use these sessions to motivate the employee to work harder.
The review can act as a scheduled “reward system”.
You may even notice employees becoming more serious and dedicated to their work closer to review time.
When managers offer consistent feedback, employees feel their managers support them.
By building a relationship of trust and openness, the employees will feel free to discuss even their small, rare mistakes and work on them so they do not turn into bigger problems later on.
Encourage growth and development by providing suggestions or have your employees come up with solutions to solve their current issues during or after their performance assessment. , Doing this will help your employee feel like they are appreciated and their success is being recognized personally by a manager.A quick email, text message or visit to an employee’s office or cubicle for a thank you can do wonders to energize them. , Even if the sales targets are not met due to unrealistic goals or aspects that were out of your employees’ control, show appreciation for small wins.
This will remind employees that their efforts are not going unnoticed and prevent them from feeling demoralized or under appreciated. , When an employee does average work, follow the average routine.
But when an employee goes the extra mile, make sure you acknowledge and reward them.
Reward employees who have achieved their goals for one, two, or even five years running.
Appreciate their long term focus on the business strategy as well as their ongoing contribution to meeting daily targets.
Doing this will reward employees for keeping their eyes on the company’s overall vision while still managing their daily tasks. , Whether it is the right IT setup for their work station or hands on guidance about how to complete a task, you want your employees to feel like they are being set up for success, not failure. , Your employees may lack the skills or knowledge to perform their assigned tasks, especially if they are new to the job or unfamiliar with the work.
The fear of being unable to properly understand an issue can lead to disengagement and a lack of motivation, so address this fear with training.
These sessions should link different operations of the business to specific skills that need to be learned.
Sometimes it is not the skills as much as the direction and instruction that counts.
For example, simply training an accountant to handle tax filing isn’t enough.
They need to be instructed on how to specifically apply their skills in a certain situation or procedure. , For example, you can create a program where the most efficient employee will be sent abroad for training with paid leave.
This will encourage every employee to work hard and improve their existing skills., As an employer, you need to encourage employee advocacy, as this gives you a chance to see how effectively your employees deal with customers.
Take action to boost advocacy, as it will turn your employees into ambassadors for your business.Employees who attend networking events or external, industry gatherings on a frequent basis are the best advocates and brand ambassadors for your company.
They will spread goodwill and loyalty toward your company and help you to expand your brand. , Currently, the young employees in your workforce are interested in how the organization is helping to uplift society.
They are less concerned with the company’s financial performance compared to the company’s shareholders.
Instead, they want to know how the company is impacting the world around them.Getting the company involved in the community in a positive way will help your employees to stay engaged with their day to day work and with the mandate of the company overall. , Holding events in the office will allow employees to discuss their work with each other, get to know other employees in different departments, and exchange their views and perspectives on their roles.
A study has shown that workplace relations play a crucial role in employee happiness; even more than employee/boss relations.
As well, individual self-esteem will be boosted when employees hear about themselves in a friendly, positive light from their peers and co-workers.
Keep in mind that many employees are more receptive to social events initiated by their co-workers, rather than by management. , This will encourage cross-workplace ties among your employees and allow them to get to know each other outside of the office setting., A few minutes of the meeting, perhaps at the start, can be devoted to light-hearted conversations or listening to someone’s personal experience.
This will help your employees look forward to meetings and stay engaged., Sometimes, small issues such as routine maintenance of common areas, or even the coffee machine breaking down can lead to distraction from the main focus and work of your employees.
Address these smaller issues and promote smooth running of the office to limit your employee’s distractions and ensure they are working in a well kept, well run, and engaging space. -
Step 3: Involve your employees in different assignments
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Step 4: and projects.
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Step 5: If possible
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Step 6: implement your employees’ ideas.
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Step 7: Only make promises you can keep.
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Step 8: Tell your employees about the company’s plan of action.
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Step 9: Hold one on one meetings to discuss your expectations.
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Step 10: Specify exactly what is required of an employee within a group or project.
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Step 11: Set clear
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Step 12: realistic goals.
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Step 13: Have a long term mission in place and translate it into small goals.
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Step 14: Set up regular performance assessments.
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Step 15: Say thank you when your employee does something right.
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Step 16: Celebrate small gains and wins.
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Step 17: Acknowledge and reward an employee who goes the extra mile.
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Step 18: Give your employees the necessary tools to do their job properly.
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Step 19: Hold training sessions for new employees and/or current employees.
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Step 20: Provide competitive opportunities for employees to learn and improve their skills.
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Step 21: Create reward programs for referring others to work for your company.
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Step 22: Set up a volunteer or community involvement programs.
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Step 23: Organize office events
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Step 24: get togethers
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Step 25: and parties.
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Step 26: Promote the office carpool and weekly office lunches.
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Step 27: Start each meeting with informal conversation or small talk.
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Step 28: Keep the office clean and well maintained.
Detailed Guide
To engage your employees, you need to first empower them by allowing them to make decisions, much like a partner in your business.
This could be giving certain approvals, leading small meetings or setting up sessions without asking for sign off from management.As a manager, you will need to present certain guidelines around this, of course.
But this will enable employees to be a part of the management process, so you can make joint decisions together.
Treating each employee as a valuable member of the team will motivate them to put forth their best effort on a consistent basis.
For example, to discuss how to increase sales for exceeding quarterly targets, you can organize a session where employees team-up to present possible solutions and ideas to improve sales.
The manager of the sales department can act as a facilitator to keep the discussion on track.
This way, your employees get a chance to bring their unique voice to solving business problems., This will make them feel that you value their involvement and contribution to a high level discussion and allow them to illustrate their expertise and talent., This will show them in a tangible way that their contributions and support matters to the company’s growth and that as a manager you take their ideas seriously. , Just as you notice what your employees do and say, your employees will notice whether or not you keep your promises and care about their ideas.Employees will be more committed to you and the company when they see you live up to your promises.
So keep your promises to your employees, even if they seem small or minor.
For example, if an employee approaches you for guidance or support while you’re busy, and you promise to get back to them when you have a free moment, follow through and help the employee at a later date.
If you forget and the employee reminds you of your promise, but you make an excuse that you are too busy or you just don’t have the time, this could affect the employee’s morale and level of trust and respect for you. , The company’s plan of action should indicate where the business is headed and what role each employee is going to play to get there.
It is unreasonable to expect your employees to work effectively when they do not know what they are working towards.
Being transparent and open about the company's overall plan will communicate to your employees that you trust them.
Your employees should have no suspicion or confusion about management in any way.
If there is a lack of trust or suspicion of bias, they will likely lose interest in their work and feel uncomfortable communicating their ideas. , In a dynamic organization, employees must stay on top of their daily responsibilities.
But your employees can only perform well when they know and understand their role in the company’s overall vision.
One on one meetings will also let your employees know if they performing above or below your expectations.
Otherwise, your employees will not be aware they may need to adjust their behavior.
Keep these meetings open and inviting, and be clear about your expectations.
The one on one meeting is a way to also bring to the surface any challenges the employee might be facing that hinders their ability to perform daily tasks.
These meeting should be frequent and focus on biweekly or monthly goals. , Assign specific tasks to each employee but make sure the task falls within the employee's skill set and job description.
As a manager, simply assigning tasks to your employees is not enough; your employees should understand exactly what they need to do and have the necessary tools and training so they are engaged in a task, rather than just doing it for the sake of checking one more task off their list.
For example, filing for taxes sounds like a simple task.
In fact, this seemingly simple task involves collecting data from every department in the company, consolidating the accounts, and then having someone prepare them according to a format; it becomes clear that multiple people and skill sets are involved in completing this task. , A goal that is not realistic or too broad or vague will have a demotivating effect on your employees.
You want your employees to reach the end of their work day feeling like they accomplished small goals, instead of feeling like they will never achieve a larger, more intimidating goal.
For example, being one of the top ten distributors in a market with hundreds of competitors is an unrealistic goal for a small, growing business.
It might be more effective to focus on improving the company’s quarterly sales or improving the company’s distributor's list for the year. , These “small goals” can be monthly or quarterly targets.
Clearly link these targets to a long term mission.
Employees will be highly engaged knowing that their efforts are directly contributing to the company’s mission., This will allow your employees to get direct feedback from management as to how close or far they are to achieving their goals.
Set aside the time to tell employees what they doing right and where they need to improve on.Nothing engages an employee like the prospect of a raise or appreciation in an upcoming review, so use these sessions to motivate the employee to work harder.
The review can act as a scheduled “reward system”.
You may even notice employees becoming more serious and dedicated to their work closer to review time.
When managers offer consistent feedback, employees feel their managers support them.
By building a relationship of trust and openness, the employees will feel free to discuss even their small, rare mistakes and work on them so they do not turn into bigger problems later on.
Encourage growth and development by providing suggestions or have your employees come up with solutions to solve their current issues during or after their performance assessment. , Doing this will help your employee feel like they are appreciated and their success is being recognized personally by a manager.A quick email, text message or visit to an employee’s office or cubicle for a thank you can do wonders to energize them. , Even if the sales targets are not met due to unrealistic goals or aspects that were out of your employees’ control, show appreciation for small wins.
This will remind employees that their efforts are not going unnoticed and prevent them from feeling demoralized or under appreciated. , When an employee does average work, follow the average routine.
But when an employee goes the extra mile, make sure you acknowledge and reward them.
Reward employees who have achieved their goals for one, two, or even five years running.
Appreciate their long term focus on the business strategy as well as their ongoing contribution to meeting daily targets.
Doing this will reward employees for keeping their eyes on the company’s overall vision while still managing their daily tasks. , Whether it is the right IT setup for their work station or hands on guidance about how to complete a task, you want your employees to feel like they are being set up for success, not failure. , Your employees may lack the skills or knowledge to perform their assigned tasks, especially if they are new to the job or unfamiliar with the work.
The fear of being unable to properly understand an issue can lead to disengagement and a lack of motivation, so address this fear with training.
These sessions should link different operations of the business to specific skills that need to be learned.
Sometimes it is not the skills as much as the direction and instruction that counts.
For example, simply training an accountant to handle tax filing isn’t enough.
They need to be instructed on how to specifically apply their skills in a certain situation or procedure. , For example, you can create a program where the most efficient employee will be sent abroad for training with paid leave.
This will encourage every employee to work hard and improve their existing skills., As an employer, you need to encourage employee advocacy, as this gives you a chance to see how effectively your employees deal with customers.
Take action to boost advocacy, as it will turn your employees into ambassadors for your business.Employees who attend networking events or external, industry gatherings on a frequent basis are the best advocates and brand ambassadors for your company.
They will spread goodwill and loyalty toward your company and help you to expand your brand. , Currently, the young employees in your workforce are interested in how the organization is helping to uplift society.
They are less concerned with the company’s financial performance compared to the company’s shareholders.
Instead, they want to know how the company is impacting the world around them.Getting the company involved in the community in a positive way will help your employees to stay engaged with their day to day work and with the mandate of the company overall. , Holding events in the office will allow employees to discuss their work with each other, get to know other employees in different departments, and exchange their views and perspectives on their roles.
A study has shown that workplace relations play a crucial role in employee happiness; even more than employee/boss relations.
As well, individual self-esteem will be boosted when employees hear about themselves in a friendly, positive light from their peers and co-workers.
Keep in mind that many employees are more receptive to social events initiated by their co-workers, rather than by management. , This will encourage cross-workplace ties among your employees and allow them to get to know each other outside of the office setting., A few minutes of the meeting, perhaps at the start, can be devoted to light-hearted conversations or listening to someone’s personal experience.
This will help your employees look forward to meetings and stay engaged., Sometimes, small issues such as routine maintenance of common areas, or even the coffee machine breaking down can lead to distraction from the main focus and work of your employees.
Address these smaller issues and promote smooth running of the office to limit your employee’s distractions and ensure they are working in a well kept, well run, and engaging space.
About the Author
Melissa Ortiz
Enthusiastic about teaching cooking techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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