(Guest post by Aiden Rotton)

The Formula for Successful Employee Engagement

“Your number one customers are your people. Look after employees first and then customers last.”

Ian Hutchinson, Chief Engagement Officer & founder of Life by Design® and author of People Glue

Business success can be attributed to numerous factors. While there are several factors that contribute to business success, employee engagement is deemed by many to be one of the most important.

What is employee engagement?

In a nutshell, it is a crucial strategic initiative, employers use that encourages accomplishment, performance and unceasing improvement among their staff.

Promote employee engagement in the workplace by keeping in mind the following tips: 

Create an environment that enhances the mood for working

Employees are more engaged when they are held accountable and given responsibilities. However, it is also necessary that they are able to measure their performance outcome.

In addition, real engagement is achieved when an employer and employee goals are aligned. Achievement of this objective will entail effective communication between both parties.

Also, there should be a level of commitment to both leadership and management development so everyone is on the same page.

Encourage positive relationships among employees

Oftentimes, encouraging engagement alone is not enough. You also need to foster a good working relationship among employees. Ideal workers exhibit remarkable qualities such as teamwork, integrity, and passion about their work.

Encouraging the aforementioned qualities in your employees will go a long way towards achieving that employee engagement you are looking for.

In addition, effort should also be exerted into the implementation of effective communication strategies. In line with this, regular team collaborations should be in place to encourage friendship and camaraderie among the staff.

Conduct regular employee feedback surveys

Typically, employee performance appraisals are carried out in most companies. Unfortunately, this method has one major downside – it is usually done as a one-time deal.

For a strategy of this kind to be truly effective, feedback should be given on a monthly basis, if a weekly basis is not feasible.

In today’s internet age, businesses are using social media as the ideal venue where CEOs and owners can establish intimacy with their people. Additionally, social media has also evolved into a platform for live debates and discussions, which is quite effective for members of staff to reach their bosses as well as learn from their ideas.

In addition, companies are trying out innovative applications like Hppy, which allows employers to measure the happiness levels of their staff and foster effective engagement in the process. With the help of the data gathered, feedback is given for easier action-planning.

Show appreciation in any way possible

From the biggest achievements to the smallest, you can never go wrong by acknowledging and rewarding employee contributions accordingly.  Fortunately, there is no limit to the ways you can show your appreciation.

Giving monetary rewards, certificates of recognition and salary increases are just some of the most effective ways to reward good work performance and encourage more engagement.

Support employee career development

Another effective way to encourage employee engagement is done through career mentoring.

Mentoring programs can help staff establish clear career goals and encourages them to connect with their colleagues in the process.

Showing commitment to the growth of employees will also show them there is career advancement ahead and there are a lot of opportunities available for those who are deserving.

There are plenty of ways to encourage employees to perform at their utmost best. However, employee engagement should be considered one of the most effective ways to achieve said objective. In addition, you can also look into getting help from a labor hire company to help ensure you will be working with the right people.

About the Author

Aiden Rotton is a professional wordsmith at Edway Labour Hire and an occasional lecturer in Business and Technical Writing. She enjoys exploring business-related subjects, yet she can also cogently discuss other writing themes assigned to her. When at home, Aiden likes to watch online cooking classes and create a sumptuous meal for two.

Image via StockSnap.io under C.C.0 license