5 great ways to engage your employees

What is employee engagement and why is it important?

Feeling a community and a commitment at their workplace makes employees more likely to be active and get motivated to devote themselves to their work, problem solving, see development potential and feel that flow.

A committed employee feels involved in the work, feels that he or she is seen and is enthusiastic about the day’s tasks. And having a management team that not only sets clear goals for the work, but also motivates why you want to achieve these goals is also an important part in creating employee engagement.

When reading about employee engagement, many of the tips can seem almost self-evident. At the same time, a survey from Gallup[1] shows that only 15% of all employees worldwide fit into the category of “committed employees.” But how could it be so?

Here are our top five tips to engage your employees and increase motivation in the workplace.

[1] Source: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx

A large part of freedom and responsibility is to offer your employees flexibility. If their job role allows it, the ability to give employees the choice of both where and when their working hours take place is an excellent way to give them both freedom and responsibility. For many, motivation increases when everyday frustrations such as putting together the puzzle of life and sitting in long queues are reduced. For others, the ability to work from home in sweatpants (admit it, we all do it sometimes) one day a week and really dig into a task is the best way. Having said that, most people place an office with a lovely environment and atmosphere in the first place, which means that many still prefer to spend their working hours on site, but with a certain freedom to be able to choose.

As an employer, allowing employees to take responsibility for their tasks is a way of showing trust, and gaining increased trust gives a kick to both self-esteem and commitment in the workplace. As an employer, this trust can be given by ensuring that employees actually have the mandate needed to make decisions within the role they were hired for.

Rewards, affirmation and recognition – there are many words you can use to describe it, but they all basically come down to one thing: seeing the individual and showing appreciation for the work being done. The more employees you have, the more difficult it can be to remember that all employees are unique individuals.

An important part of seeing the individual is not only giving praise for work done, but also being able to look forward together and see what development potential exists. Being able to grow in your role, learn new skills and develop the skills you already have is the best motivator you can give your employees.

When you know what you’re aiming for, it’s easier to get there. Knowing what you are fighting for and why creates both an understanding between employees and management, while at the same time it creates value in the daily work. One way to motivate employees is by sharing key figures and results; for clear goals increases the productivity and motivation of management as well as employees.

It may sound like a cliché, but communication is really the best tool we have to increase understanding between individuals. And communication between employees and between employees and management strengthens and increases trust. Another positive aspect in this context is that an employee who feels seen and heard becomes more engaged in his work.

The workplace of the future has committed employees

Having committed employees who enjoy their workplace will be visible both at customer meetings and outside of work. By having committed employees, the productivity and potential of the company increases. And employees who are positive about their workplace are less often sick, more profitable and deliver higher quality results than those who are disengaged. In today’s society where it’s all about recruiting talent and getting them to stay, employees’ experience of their workplace is more important than ever.