Engaged employees have a zeal for their work, a loyalty to your brand, and the ability to stay focused on moving your company forward.
Your employees want to love their job – here’s how you can help them on their way:
1. Give them flexibility.
Flexibility in the work place is one of the top perks an employee would switch jobs for, according to a 2017 Gallup poll. Younger millennials have gained a reputation for valuing their free time, but in a competitive employee market, companies need to respect everyone’s desire to have a life beyond the office.
Granting flexibility in where and when employees knock out projects shows them you believe in their work ethic, their abilities and their loyalty to your mission. For employees in industries where being onsite is critical, granting greater visibility to scheduling and rewarding employees who make themselves available for shift-swapping can increase employee autonomy and ownership.
2. Launch self-managed work teams.
A self-managed team isn’t revolutionary – it’s an extension of your faith in your team. Instead of pigeon-holing your specialists, create a team to look at support tasks, such as revising workflow processes, collectively managing employee absences, or gathering input for benefits or internal communication overhauls.
This team of non-managers needs to work cohesively toward well-defined goals, which allows for creativity, openness, proactivity and a sense of ownership. This seemingly small delegation of power can pay a psychologically huge dividend for individuals, culminating in higher employee engagement.
3. Encourage productive time management.
Ask your employees to make a plan for the day.
No, this isn’t going to blow their minds. But, according to a recent Journal of Applied Psychology study, this one simple addition in a workday can harness incredible engagement results, from increased focus to less frustration with slow progress.
A classic to-do list is a starting point, but this research suggests employing “contingent planning.” This uses a to-do list but also requires:
- the consideration of likely disruptions or interruptions during the workday, and
- how to address them.
In the study, participants using contingent planning showed strong positive productivity results – even on days they were thrown off by interruptions. This is important in our increasingly technologically disruptive work world.
One of the most important steps in having engaged employees is having good employees to begin with. Our Applicant Tracking Software makes hiring great people a priority. Schedule a free demo today.
