I’ve had the opportunity to speak to hundreds of business owners about the importance of employee engagement. We all know the benefits of high employee engagement: increased productivity, high staff retention, ability to attract top talent to our organizations and amazing company culture! The benefits are clear but the challenge is undeniable. In fact, only one third of all employees are highly engaged in their job! Everyone knows the value of high employee engagement, but what I’m finding is that few know how to increase it.
When lecturing, one of my first questions to the audience is always “What are you doing to increase employee engagement?” And as the old adage goes… if I had a dime every time I heard the answer “Company Happy Hours”, I’d be a filthy rich man! Other social events such as bowling, ropes courses, golf, picnics, holiday parties, and office olympics all fall into the same category as happy hours.
Now, don’t get wrong idea, spending time with colleagues outside of the office definitely has value and can build the company culture of your business, but unless these events are strictly tied to a performance achievement of your staff (and that doesn’t mean, when Bob turns 50), this type of event doesn’t drive employee engagement. The simple reason is, once something is “given” to employees, it can easily become expected from your staff. “When’s the next happy hour?” becomes a common question heard amongst the ranks.
A good employee engagement strategy will have objective goals with clearly communicated expected outcomes. Maybe those fun activities outside of the office are a small part of your employee engagement strategy, but they should not be a stand-alone concept.
Consider how you, as the owner or manager of the business, can empower your staff to achieve their goals…and I’m not just talking about their professional goals. It’s our job, as leaders, to develop and mentor our team as individuals to become more successful both professionally and personally. Talk to your staff. What are their goals and objectives to grow within your company? What personal goals do they have? What motivates them to perform at their best each day? And finally, are they committed and willing to work toward achieving those desired outcomes?
Steps to creating a comprehensive employee engagement strategy:
- Talk to your staff members to find out what drives them
- Use those conversations to setup some objective goals
- Implement a strategy that can impact your team members personally AND professionally. (It is a good idea to encourage staff members to try something new that is out of their comfort zone. That is often where the greatest personal growth happens.)
- Reward your employees once they achieve their goals (but keep in mind that rewarding them with more money is not always the answer.)
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