Employee engagement is something that many organizations take very seriously. It has been a growing focus among leaders and is the driving force behind many strategic initiatives undertaken by major companies in recent years. Despite all this, one look at employee engagement scores in the workplace at large will show you that there is still a lot of room for improvement in most cases. So what is a leader, looking for quick and impactful ways to boost engagement, to do?
- Conduct Engagement Surveys
This may seem like a pretty obvious first step, but a surprising number of companies are not conducting these surveys. Among Fortune 500 organizations, as many as 96% are utilizing these tools. However, among midsized companies, this number drops to just 65%. Not only are these surveys vital to understanding where you stand with your employees, the simple act of giving your employees the chance to feel heard can have immediate impacts on your engagement overall.
- Recognize Achievements
One of the fastest ways to lose the interest and attention of your employees is to let good work go unnoticed. You don’t necessarily need to build a formal employee recognition program (though that is certainly an option), but it is critical that you take the time to recognize and reward the accomplishments of your employees in some way. This will incentivize them to keep making an impact and help ensure that they feel appreciated.
- Provide Growth Opportunities
One of the biggest reasons why employees leave their jobs is a lack of growth opportunities. When your workforce does not feel challenged, they will inevitably begin to lose interest. It’s not always possible to promote employees continuously, but it is important that you find ways to offer your key talent projects which test their abilities, opportunities to learn new skills, and a variety of experiences to keep them engaged.
- Offer Guidance
Offering employees mentorship can be an invaluable way to build loyalty and drive positive engagement. Providing your employees with guidance shouldn’t only be restricted to the performance improvement plan. If you give your workforce the chance to take advantage of mentorship – whether formally through a program or informally through access to great leadership – they will become a more engaged and better-skilled workforce overall.
Employee engagement is multifaceted and complex. There are countless factors that contribute to how engaged your employees are, and no one solution will be the end-all-beat-all to building a culture of engagement. However, these four tactics can go a long way in making a positive impact on your engagement scores. When you take the time to listen to your employees’ concerns and needs and provide them with appropriate recognition, development, and mentorship opportunities, you lay down the foundation for an engaging workplace culture.