Over the past few years, many companies struggled to boost their bottom line. Fortunately, CEOs, entrepreneurs and leaders have finally realized that the smartest way of increasing profits is through employee engagement. Businesses of all sizes and shapes want to have determined, skilled and motivated workers, although very few are willing to offer additional perks to retain those people. Surprisingly, financial incentives are not the surest way of increasing employee engagement; it takes more than a salary raise to convince a devoted worker to stay with your company. Here’s what you can do:
Focus on communicating more
Leaders should communicate more with workers. Thus, you’ll know more about their concerns, achievements in your company, and future expectations. Set up weekly meetings with the staff and engage in a conversation. Allow them to speak freely; let them say what they have on their mind, even if it’s not something you’d want to hear about.
Who knows, maybe Melanie needs a new ergonomic chair to do her job, or maybe Bill is having problems with his computer but the IT department is too busy to handle it?
Consider employee engagement surveys
Most employees hate engagement surveys because they don’t want to answer uncomfortable questions. They’re terrified to give straight answers, too, because they don’t want to get fired. However, if an HR department learns how to craft the ideal employee engagement survey, you have high chances of spotting major problems and boosting your company’s bottom line.
First of all, company leaders should agree for HR to make anonymous surveys; you don’t want to know who said what because you’ll be preoccupied with assessing people’s concerns and making improvements to increase motivation and engagement.
For instance, if 20 people write in the questionnaire that the ventilation system should be fixed, then it’s a clear sign that the problem affects their work performance and that you should deal with it immediately.
Communicate goals and be clear about your expectations
Most employees want to feel that they’re being part of a team. They want to interact with peers and managers, and they want to given the right to make important decisions. As a company leader, you must find a way to be clear about your expectations. Express targets and goals, reward your people every once in a while, and keep them engaged with good advice.
Encouraging workers to speak up can lead to extraordinary results. Set up weekly brainstorming sessions, talk about tasks and duties, and let them be in charge, too. Some might surprise you with ingenious ideas.
Promote organizational values, effectiveness and work ethic
Employees should see leaders as mentors; they should look up to them and listen to their advice. By promoting active effectiveness and organizational values, you encourage employees to share ideas, work with more passion and stay engaged.
A company’s reputation depends on both employers and employees; as long as you can convince them that working for you can benefit their future, they’re stay engaged for extended periods of time.
Powerful team environment
A powerful work space fosters relations and builds trust. It’s important for leaders to work with trustworthy employees, because only the most devoted people can help your company thrive. However, it’s equally important to give trust as well. Praise their excellent ideas and don’t hesitate to tell them where there’s room for adding improvements. You’re the boss, so act like it with poise and determination.
Not many companies value the great power of employee engagement. That’s because some adhere to a different set of rules, mostly based on tyranny and domination. Others on the other hand, are open to change; in fact, they welcome change. Is your company ready to spice things up and approach things differently to increase profit?
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a CEO or the owner of a billion dollar enterprise, remember that your success depends on how engaged your people are. When there’s work power, determination, ideas, trust, and commitment, nothing else matters as you’ve already attained greatness.
However, always think about your people if you want your company to get to the top, and hire the best of the best to reap great benefits. Never stop learning and let your employees make you an even better business leader!
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Simple article yet useful for today’s leader.