Employee engagement is necessary to improve business operations and enhance productivity. Here are the 15 factors that need to be nourished to improve it.
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement can play a vital role in boosting the business. It is the effort, commitment, enthusiasm, and dedication towards his or her work. It's the eagerness and passion for their work. A major part of it depends on the relationship between an employee and the organization. This means, if a person is treated well by the company, he or she puts in all the efforts and may also go beyond the limit to finish off a certain task. Here are 15 factors that need to be nourished for employee engagement.
Learning Culture
Providing learning and career development opportunities through trainings, seminars, etc., shows that employees are valued. When employees see organizations investing in them and are concerned for their career growth, it spikes their interests in the work. The new skills and knowledge acquired are also used in enhancing business operations.
Motivation
You can motivate employees to work hard and efficiently by appreciating them on their smallest of achievements, providing incentives in terms of a movie ticket, a shopping coupon, or felicitating the person in a team meeting. Other than these acts, scheduling one or two hours in a week for employees' entertainment will help in making the environment fun and enjoyable, which can eventually contribute in productivity.
Rewards and Recognitions
Recognizing a person's effort is essential to make him/her feel valued. If a person doesn't get due recognition, he will feel demotivated, and there is less chance of applying the same sort of efforts in the future projects. So don't wait for a favorable occasion to recognize a person's efforts. In fact, take out time and do it on a regular basis. Seeing any person rewarded or appreciated will motivate other employees to do better.
Workplace Culture
Company culture can greatly influence employee engagement as well as productivity and quality. When employees' relationships with coworkers, and managers are good, it will show in the work. So build a trust and make them feel free to approach you for any small or big issues. When the workplace culture is transparent, lenient, and amicable, employees will realize what they are answerable to and take initiative on improving things.
Effective Communication
Easy and effective way of communication between bosses and employees can lead to greater participation, innovation, and creativity at the workplace. For example, sharing relevant and clear information with employees can help in collecting different ideas and opinions that can help resolve a problem. Setting up a flexible communication protocol will keep them at ease, to make yourself easily approachable.
Relationship With Managers
Don't treat employees as a robot or a machine that mints money. Treat them equally and with respect. Develop relationships with them by sharing interesting details. During the lunch or coffee break, speak to them and ask about their family background. If possible, try to help them in any way, be it an advice or tips on handling domestic problems, or buying an electronic gadget. Try to know their interest and hobby and discuss about a recent movie, sports, or politics. Asking them how they spend their weekly offs, and where do they go for shopping, holidaying, or camping can help in developing relationship and eventually employee engagement.
Flexibility
Be flexible in office timing and give a free-hand to employees in doing work. If someone is late to the office and is willing to stay back and complete the official work hours, don't mark him for half-day. In case a team member cannot attend the office, but can work from home, allow them. Even in the office, provide a break time longer than the usual on a few occasion so that employees don't feel stressed due to continuous work pressure.
Technology
Technology can help in accomplishing tasks faster and efficiently. But since it keeps changing each year, it is necessary to update the workplace. When employees get to work with new and advanced technology, they will be at ease in completing tasks. Further, their efficiencies, skills, and experience will also improve. They can come up with innovative ideas and creative concepts for existing and other projects in the pipeline. All these things will eventually work in improving employee engagement.
Feedback on Work Environment
Employers must know whether their employees are happy working with them. While nobody can speak their heart openly, a better way to know about their happiness quotient is to take a feedback. Just ask them to fill a paper form or a spreadsheet without stating their names. When the majority of them voice dissatisfaction, change the policies, hierarchy, and work patterns.
Competition
Competition in a workplace is common between employees, but it is also important to make sure that managers or bosses should promote healthy competition for encouraging positive workplace culture. For example, managers can hold a contest between employees to finish a certain task within a set deadline and reward the person who emerges as a winner. This will work as a morale booster.
Hygiene & Safety
Hygiene at the workplace is important for maintaining good health. A clean and hygienic pantry, washroom, conference room, waiting room, and reception will exude positive vibes and infuse interest in employees to work better. It will also reduce absenteeism, as well. And for the safety of workers, fix cracked ceilings and floors, replace old electric wirings to avoid short-circuits. A mock drill once a month on safely evacuating the building or workplace during fire is another way to show concern for employees' safety.
Team work
Team work can produce expected outcome. Some guidelines that can be followed to improve it are: maintain an open line of communication with all the members so that they can easily approach for help any time, ensure every member understands the team's goals clearly, address problems quickly and impartially, give challenges to bring fun in work, express gratitude for good work done.
Employee Autonomy
Nobody likes someone standing at their back or with a hammer in a hand. When you have assigned a task to team members, give them freedom to complete it in their own way. Just tell them how and when it needs to be completed. This will encourage them to think new ways and feel free to apply ideas and finish the task.
Fair Pay
While companies try to pay employees as per their skills, experience, and responsibilities handled, it is tough to satisfy all when it comes to a paycheck. The best way to calm down their grievances is to explain how company has defined pay structure for each designation, what output it expects from team members, and how the profit is shared among workers after deducting company expenses.
The above-mentioned factors are the keys to nourish employee engagement for increasing productivity and accomplishing goals for company's success.
About the Creator
Eva Lee
Eva Lee is an Enterprise Software Technology project Manager who also enjoy's writing,Eva started writing the blogs and articles on Resumes, Career oriented topics.
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