Employee Engagement

Increasing attention has been paid to the subject of employee engagement over the past decade and many organisations have actively developed strategies designed to help them get the most from their employees.
Engagement is not a matter of coercing employees to work harder or do more, but about developing productive working relationships and a working environment where employees are willing and able to make the best use of their skills and abilities for the benefit of their employer and themselves. Team leaders and line managers have a vital role which is to motivate and inspire those they manage, to set direction for the team and provide an environment which enables people to work productively together.

What Is Employee Engagement?

David MacLeod defines employee engagement in his 2009 report to UK government as:

“A workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being.”

Benefits Of Employee Engagement For Employers And Organisations

For the employer, the benefits of employees and teams who are actively engaged with the organisation where they work include:

• enhanced commitment, loyalty and performance
• higher levels of discretionary effort
• the development of employees’ skills and abilities
• fresh and innovative ideas and suggestions
• greater synergy and productivity from the team as a whole
• a positive and productive working environment.

Benefits Of Employee Engagement For Individuals

For individuals, the benefits of engagement include:

• a sense of personal fulfilment and well-being in their work
• increased morale and job satisfaction
• the feeling that they are valued and that their efforts are appreciated
• a sense of pride in individual and team achievements
• the realisation of their personal potential
• enhancement of their promotion and career prospects

How To Engage Employees? – Employee Engagement Best Practices

Effective managers include below actions into their problem solving strategies.

1. Get to know your team
2. Set clear expectations
3. Keep team members in the loop
4. Build relationships of trust
5. Encourage open discussion and debate
6. Empower your team
7. Give feedback
8. Take the aspirations of team members seriously
9. Deal promptly with performance issues
10. Tackle conflicts at an early stage

To learn more about employee engagement, view the guides below:

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