The topic of employee engagement is something we can all interpret in a multitude of ways. It is not necessarily satisfaction in the workplace, nor is it purely about the happiness factor, but it's about the commitment of your workers towards your company through these emotions and attitudes. If an employee is engaged, this has a natural carryover into your productivity, resulting in a better bottom line. Ensuring your employees have that level of engagement will result in a culture that is more focused on passions and desires rather than the practices that may result in a pay rise. So how do you know your employees are engaged? It is not just about the better results, but you will see a noted change in your employees' behaviours. For example, they may be more willing to offer their services beyond what is demanded of the role. When you begin to drive engagement, you will reap the benefits across the board. Here are 5 key drivers of employee engagement you need to have.
Content Overview
2. Mental and Physical Wellbeing
How Engaged Employees Make a Business Better
1. The Right Tools
A very simple part of the equation, but one that we don't give as much attention to as we should. Having the appropriate resources to fulfill the role is essential not because of the change in technology. But because productivity in terms of the processes is about getting from A to B in as short a journey as possible, the right tools, from technology to training, are going to have a positive impact on profits.
Having the right workflow management software for example, can help managers and employees get more things done with lesser time. When you have the right tools, you don't just have one of the key drivers of employee engagement on a technical level but it benefits your workers. They can enjoy a better work-life balance and have more flexibility because they are able to see their schedule in front of them, which improves their abilities to roll with the punches on a typical working day.
2. Mental and Physical Wellbeing
The pandemic has given us a renewed sense of perspective of mental and physical wellbeing, and from a business perspective, we always have to focus on reducing sick days relating to stress. Combating mental health is the key, but how can we do this? We can take a more active approach to contribute to mental and physical wellbeing in the workplace. This could cover nutrition or something as simple as standing desks. Investing in your employees’ mental and physical wellbeing is about incorporating small components that will give your employees that feeling of support over time.
The most common reasons for workplace stress is the heavy workload and an inability to balance working and personal life. The solution to this may be all about disconnecting. For example, the French law brought in 2017 asked companies with over 50 employees to state the hours when their staff should not answer or send emails, so the employees are paid fairly for their work input while also minimising any potential for burnout.
3. Values and Purpose
Values and purpose have never been more tied in with companies. A global research conducted by the The IBM Smarter Workforce Institute and Globoforce’s WorkHuman Research Institute has shown that 80% of employees are more engaged with their work if it aligns with the values of the company. If you want to connect with your workers, you have to ensure your mission is clear for your employees to see. Big picture thinking is important for any business's success, but you also have to communicate your strategies with a clear vision that everybody is able to work towards.
Creating a message that your employees and future workers can relate to is one of the key drivers of employee engagement that doesn't just improve productivity, but will work wonders for your employees’ retention, especially during tougher times. Working your message into your communications practices and setting goals that all employees can see is pivotal to long-term success.
4. Communication
Another key component is what is being communicated. In an office environment, line managers and leaders can make the mistake of focusing on past failures too much. Negativity is only going to breed contempt, especially if employees feel it’s their fault the business is not doing as well as it should. Focus on creating solutions and you will have better performing employees in the long run.
5. The Working Environment
Wherever your employees are based, their work environment will have a direct impact on their productivity and how satisfied they are with the job. The environment is so important, as this encompasses key areas that many organisations may not pay particular attention to. For example, something as simple as a lack of natural light can invariably have a negative impact on an employee's frame of mind over time. So working near a window can make a big difference to employee engagement. Other factors, such as the temperature or air quality, are also things to consider.
While every member of staff will have their own preferences, it's important to ensure your workers are able to do their job because they are comfortable. As there has been a focus on increasing mobility around the office through standing desks and walking meetings, it's also important to remember that employees will need to be comfortable so they can do their jobs to the best of their abilities. Additionally, they will need different areas for working and relaxing. An office environment needs to cater to both sides of the equation. Having somewhere to relax away from all the pressures of their job will give them the opportunities to increase their productivity for the remainder of their working day.
How Engaged Employees Make a Business Better
Organisations can only reinvent themselves if they take on the ideas and support of the employees. By implementing these key drivers of employee engagement, you should see an improvement in productivity, job satisfaction. Engagement can take many forms, but we have to remember it is so important to keep our employees happy and healthy.
While this will have an impact on the bottom line, we must remember that while we are focusing on improving our business, an employee will always remember how they were treated at a specific point in time and if they were merely viewed as commodities to boost profits and nothing more.
But where should all this come from? It all boils down to the leaders. Leadership will be one of the biggest drivers of employee engagement to create an environment where employees are engaged. For employees to feel engaged with any business, a leader needs to show they are authentic, credible, and approachable. Only then will they be able to create the cultural and physical environment to engage employees resulting in the best possible outcome for their business. As a business grows so should the employees, and we must remember this if we are going to make a big difference going forward.
