Employee Engagement: A Key Ingredient for Transforming Business Performance

We all know a simple truth: when we are happy and feel confident - no matter what area of life it is - our performance is increased with much more lighthearted methods. And we are prone to transfer that feeling to other spheres of life. 

This is the best part, you can be one of the reasons (if you’re a business owner) for increased satisfaction in your team of employees and also for taking business performance to new levels. You wonder how. Well, it’s all about employee engagement. 

But what is employee engagement? 

Many experts will tell you about the countless methods and tricks you can employ for better performance at work, but the essential component of everything is - employee engagement. 

Everything starts with it, and as simply explained - it measures how motivated, enthusiastic, and dedicated individuals are to their jobs and their company. There are many benefits to having engaged employees, and we will explore those later in the article. 

Before we get to the advantages and strategies for developing employee engagement, let’s see why employee engagement can’t start without communication and recognition. 

Employees have to feel and trust that they are part of something bigger and that their job is vital to the company's success. Also, they need to see that their voices are being heard and that their opinions are valued. 

Recognition is essential for showing appreciation and rewarding your employees for their hard work and efforts.

You can start by just expressing the most ordinary thing: thank you, from time to time. Or even being more creative and starting recognition programs or awards. 

We all like to feel appreciated, valued, and respected. But before everything else, employees need to have a precise understanding of their career path within the company.  

Every employee needs to know what opportunities are available to them and feel like they’re progressing toward their goals. If it seems like they are stuck in a dead-end job, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they become disengaged. 

Employee rewards for enhancing motivation 

One of the key components of employee engagement is rewards and recognition programs, which play a vital role in motivating employees. 

The motivation behind it is clear - showing recognition for their valuable contribution. 

Building a positive work environment and culture is not an easy task, but there are many different ways to develop employee reward schemes, and they all include these elements:

• A framework for monitoring staff progress and accomplishments

• Consistent communication about the program and how it works

• A selection of awards or prizes that employees are eligible for

• Defined criteria for earning rewards

• Opportunities for employee feedback and input

Consider what type of behavior you want to encourage before developing any type of recognition program, and on what do you want to focus? Is it attendance, satisfaction, productivity, or something entirely else? 

Improving communication and strengthening relationships across the desk or even around the world - can be daunting but also fun. Just try to determine the goals, and as soon as you’re done with it - you can begin designing a program that suits your needs.

It’s more than just a paycheck: Happy employees mean a happy workplace

The most obvious advantages of employee engagement for business performance - and most importantly - are that engaged employees are more likely to be productive, effective, flexible, and efficient in their roles. 

It’s most likely they will stay with the company much longer and be less likely to take part in undesirable work behaviors such as damaging corporate property or even stealing.

Think about the positive reviews your workers can leave on Glassdoor or just share their experience with others, for example. It’s also common to see various opinions on LinkedIn if your employees are willing to be ambassadors for your company. 

Sharing their views and opinions matters - so try to maintain a positive workplace. If stress is reduced and morale is boosted, it’s noticeable, and everyone will want to be a part of it. And nobody wants to be a part of the burnout culture. 

Providing mental wellness to your company is one of the imperatives in today's fast-paced world - showing support and respect to your employees can provide a better experience at work.

Try to make it a bit more personal, since this is one of the significant outcomes if you want to recruit and keep top employees - as well as attract new clients. 

A quick check-up - what are the strategies for greatness?

Imagine yourself driving a bus - and your employees are the passengers. You can’t drive your business without them, and to drive it successfully, you need to have some driving lessons - in this case, effective strategies:

1. Start with creating an engaging and positive work environment

2. Offer meaningful work

3. Provide opportunities for growth and development

4. Recognize and reward your busy bees!

5. Communicate openly and frequently

Making sure the work environment is pleasant and that employees have the resources they need to work makes them feel important. If that’s the case, they will make a huge difference in trying to fit their work into the bigger picture and contribute to the company’s goals. 

Progress together by establishing development opportunities 

The other important factor is the moment when they need to see that they are progressing in their careers and developing as professionals. Every business should offer chances for employees to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and advance in their careers.

By providing employees with possibilities to grow and educate themselves with new skills, you can keep them engaged and motivated to do their finest work. 

No matter what industry you’re in, just keep in mind that there are always new technological developments that can come in handy. And it doesn’t hurt to be updated and stay in tune with the latest trends. With so many choices and possibilities, there are also different ways you can go about establishing development opportunities for your team. 

Just start simple - create a dedicated training budget that employees can use to attend conferences or take courses. Or make a plan to set aside time each week for employees to work on their personal development projects. No matter what you decide to do, make sure to provide your team with the resources they need.

Leverage technology for boosting employee engagement 

You should thrive to keep your team updated on company changes, news, and future developments. Let them know what’s going on and why it matters to them. Get their trust by giving them the opportunity to feel more included.

Establish an employee intranet, since it can be a great way to keep employees informed about everything and can also be used as a platform for collaboration and communication. Try to use social media platforms as well! It’s not edgy anymore like it was before - connecting with employees and even customers on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter can be useful for building long-lasting relationships, and it’s also fun. 

Use those connections to ask them questions and get feedback. Having channels on Slack can be resourceful! Use those to get a sense of what success looks like for your employees. Or what could be improved, and what challenges are they facing? 

Encouraging two-way communication can create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.

Open and supportive work/life balance

It’s not a magic trick and wishful thinking anymore, it’s an integral part of every modern and successful business, organization, company, etc. Why? Well, we’ve already mentioned the culture of burnout in previous chapters, and it’s almost self-explanatory. And here’s how you can achieve a healthy work/life balance for your employees:

• Offer flexible work hours or the option to telecommute when possible, this will allow your employees to better manage their time and commitments

• Make sure your employees take breaks during the day, even if it’s just 10-15 minutes to step away from their desks and take a walk

• Offer health benefits, promoting wellness in the workplace - encouraging healthy eating habits and providing prospects for physical activity

• Cultivate transparent communication between managers and staff, create a positive culture, and offer appreciation for a job well done

Being thoughtful and having the initiative to promote a positive narrative can bring a lot to your workplace. 

Creating something of value, together

Employee engagement - yes, it’s a key ingredient in this soup of business. It’s tasteful, it’s impactful, and it brings significance to both sides of the table. With careful preparation of components, such as investments, and proper planning from senior management, you can cook a Michelin-star meal that will help build better relationships between teams and lead to greater success. 

Take responsibility to ensure the resources, because investing at the right time and place - can transform everything and ensure the longevity of your organization.

Author:

Mika Kankaras

I am a fabulous SaaS writer with a talent for creating exciting material and breaking down difficult ideas into readily digestible chunks. As an avid cat lover and cinephile, my vibrant personality and diverse interests shine through in my work.

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