Tip #470: How To Lead In Employee Engagement

It's no secret that engaged employees benefit the companies that employ them. In fact, organizations with engaged employees experience better production, an increase in goal-oriented behavior, lower turnover and higher profits.

Unfortunately, two-thirds of your employees are most likely disengaged. To reduce this percentage, a company needs to provide genuine means of fulfillment.

Click here to see the results of the Dale Carnegie Training Employee Engagement Study.

 

9 Tips For Getting More Of Your Employees Engaged

Tip #1: Provide Social Interaction And Space For Discussion - Feeling engaged means feeling connected. Anything you can do that provides a feeling of connectivity will encourage loyalty and satisfaction in your employees. Additionally, once employees feel like the company cares, they will be more likely to provide you with valuable feedback, suggestions for process improvements and other information only achieved in an environment of mutual trust.

Tip #2: Employ Empathy Instead Of Sympathy - Being sympathetic means recognizing a concern. Displaying empathy means you demonstrate a relational understanding. Most companies employ managers who are sympathetic, but empathetic leaders truly encourage employees to become more engaged. You can do this in a few ways:
* Demonstrated positive reaction to employee concerns and suggestions
* Intranet, LinkedIn or private Facebook group interaction
* Town hall-style meetings

Tip #3: Establish A Corporate Culture And Encourage Participation - Perks like flexible hours or a company gym demonstrate your commitment to the well being of your employees, and that inspires loyalty and engagement in return. Be clear about your corporate culture and ensure that it is reflected in the way you treat your employees.

Tip #4: Recognize Positive Contributions - Instead of simply recognizing your top performers, make sure you recognize your employees' contributions to your corporate culture and community. Additionally, this means ensuring that your employees understand their job beyond its function - they should know exactly why their role is valuable to the corporation, and you should make sure to demonstrate that you value it.

Tip #5: Encourage Mentoring - Most companies have workers and management - but have you considered what would happen if you presented your managers as mentors or encouraged employees to mentor each other? This prompts employees to create career advancement goals and to discover and share their talents.

Tip #6: Provide Community Service Opportunities - Some amount of employee engagement happens outside of the office. Community service opportunities provide new ways for your teams to work together for a greater goal. This reinforces a connection with other employees and the community, and that is proven to increase employee engagement.

Tip #7: Be Consistent - Employee engagement is not an annual initiative driven by only one department. It's a constant, intentional effort that you must support. Everyone experiences a fair share of instability in their lives; by showing that you care, your company can earn genuine commitment from its employees.

Tip #8: Do Not Forget About The Metrics - While it is important for you to measure employee engagement and its benefits, it is even more important for your employees to see how their extra effort produces real results and benefits the company. This encourages pride, support and creates an atmosphere conducive to employee engagement.

Tip #9: Provide Resources - Once you determine your employees' goals, you can engage them by supporting them in their goals. This could mean additional training, educational reimbursement or frank discussions about your employees' futures in the company.

Executive Summary: With consistency, outreach and encouragement, you can provide a corporate culture that attracts and retains engaged employees. Activities and opportunities that provide feelings of connection are among the best ways to create a corporate culture of such values.

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