Engaged teams are more productive and motivated than less-engaged employees, and they tend to be more likely to stay with the company. It will take time to increase team member engagement if that is one of your management goals. Here are some ways you can get started.
1. Inform employees about the benefits of their work to the company
Many people feel that they are just working to make a living. People often feel drained when they don’t believe their work has a greater purpose. You can encourage your team members to meet if they feel this way.
Every interaction that a potential or current customer has with a company can influence their opinion of it. You can meet with employees to discuss their roles and benefit the company, its clients, or any other goal.
People will feel more engaged if they have a clear understanding of how and why their work matters. It is also possible to show people how your company does great things. It could include donating part or all of the proceeds to charity or even launching a new environmentally-friendly packaging material.
2. Coordinate volunteer opportunities
Employees love to spend time with their coworkers while helping others. Many studies have shown that volunteering can increase productivity, morale, and engagement in workers. These are just a few of the many reasons you might decide to offer volunteer opportunities for workers.
However, before you dive into the task, make sure to get to know your employees and find out what types of giving back interest them most. Many workplace volunteering programs highlight the priorities of the management team, which might not be what employees consider most important.
It would help if you also remembered that there are many ways you can give back. A person may have other obligations that prevent them from volunteering a few hours on Saturday to provide lunch for homeless shelter residents. The worker might decide to sponsor a fundraiser or donate their time to the shelter.
Volunteering can help you and your team builds a stronger relationship. People can quickly share their experiences and create deeper connections. It is essential for employees from different departments within an organization who might not normally interact.
3. Make sure to spend time establishing relationships with your workers
Engaging your employees most efficiently is the easiest. It is essential to make an effort to get to know your employees. Managers often identify workers based on the characteristics they display in the workplace. It could mean that you may know someone is punctual and willing to work late on projects, but not their partner or pet.
There are many fun and easy ways to learn more about your employees and encourage them to be open to learning from you. An option is for employees to create a workplace dream board with images that represent their hopes and dreams for the company’s future.
It is also a good idea to ask one icebreaker question before every team meeting. These lighthearted questions, whether it’s about imagining the perfect dinner date with a celebrity or what people would do if they had a million dollars, can be eye-opening.
Open-door policies are another way to build trust and show your employees that you are available when they need it. People will avoid setting up a time to talk about things if it is too difficult.
4. Ask employees for feedback
Many people have experienced workplace situations where they wanted to express an opinion but felt it would not matter if they did. This belief can hurt team member engagement.
Consider how you can show workers that you value their opinions. It would help if you showed them that your input is essential and will listen to their ideas. Keep in mind that employees at lower levels often have very different opinions than the management. This reality can help you make the company stronger, both in the short- and long term.
It is best to hold at least three conversations with employees about survey results if you are looking to collect feedback. The first meeting is to review the survey results and to discuss the plans for the company. Once your company has implemented at least some of the plans, you can meet with them again.
Last but not least, take the opportunity to review what the organization did to make necessary changes. Also, assess how well the organization is doing. It’s OK if your evaluation shows that you are not making the progress you want. It doesn’t matter what your evaluation says; the most important thing to remember is that efforts are being made to achieve the desired outcomes.
Employees are entitled to voice their opinion and request that things be changed. However, it would help if you did not promise anything except that you consider their views when making decisions. Even if you are passionate about a particular issue, many things are beyond your control and those of the company.
5. Remote team members can participate
Maybe your company has increased its focus on remote work in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Or, perhaps you have always had significant numbers of remote workers. Remote workers will make team member engagement more effective in any case.
Remote workers need to have clear and continuous communication. Knowing what is expected of them by others will help people perform better. Please keep the conversation going, whether by having weekly video calls with remote workers or by letting them know that they can reach you at any time with an instant messaging tool.
Find ways to encourage remote employees to participate in workplace activities. If your office hosts a contest for Christmas sweaters, allow people to submit photos from anywhere they are. Your office might invite someone to lead a self-care workshop. You can stream the content to all employees, regardless of where they are located.
6. Recognize outstanding work and suggest areas for growth
You’ll find that employees will respond to your feedback the same way as you can get feedback from them. One-on-one meetings are a great way to highlight outstanding efforts.
People fear being called to the manager’s office. They anticipate unpleasant experiences. It is possible to dispel this belief by having meetings that say, “Well done!” Keep up the excellent work!
There will be occasions when you need to coach employees about how to improve their work performance. Try to keep the conversation positive and encouraging, even in these instances.
It is important to emphasize that while the team member may be doing many things well, there are still areas for improvement. Next, give clear and constructive direction on how to improve. Please provide them with metrics that help them track their progress and any other benchmarks that can help them get there.
Employees who feel unsatisfied with their performance can feel discouraged and unsure about their career prospects. You can address these issues with ongoing feedback, which promotes better engagement.
Engagement improvement is a process
Understandably, you want to improve team member engagement in your company. It won’t happen overnight. It’s a journey without a destination. Engaged employees can do small or large-scale tasks every day. You will begin to notice the effects of these things. These tips will inspire you to think about the next steps.
Disclaimer. The opinions and views expressed in this article are the authors Andrew Napolitano.
