Love Your Employees: Engagement and Motivation
Ah Valentine's Day, that once-yearly opportunity to share your thoughts of love and appreciation but what if the warm feelings could extend beyond romantic relationships to the workplace?
Employee Engagement (because that’s what it’s actually called) isn’t just a feel-good concept, it directly impacts your business because engaged employers are more productive, happier, more loyal and quite frankly the best advert your business will ever have.
Imagine a whole team or business feeling that way. It’s possible!
How to get there?
Like all good relationships, to have an engaged and motivated employee you’ll have to put the work in and you’ll have to mean it too, to use the Valentine’s concept you can’t just turn up once a year with a dozen red roses and be a d*ck the rest of the time - it doesn’t work like that.
Recognise and Appreciate
Top of the pops this one, we all know how being appreciated feels, like a warm cup of tea on a freezing day, so whether it’s a thank you note, a shout-out in the team meeting or something a bit more formal, recognition makes everyone feel valued. So do it, do it often and mean it.
Keep It Open
Everyone wants to feel heard, it’s your job to make it happen, from regular 121’s, the opportunity for anonymous feedback and open forms to encourage sharing thoughts and ideas. Some of these things can feel like admin when you have a busy schedule but they’re so important, don’t be the manager who always cancels the 121, you’re not doing the person a favour by clearing their diary but you are sending a clear message that you’re not interested. Keep the communication channels regular and open - they’re invaluable.
Let Them Grow
But what if they take the new skills and leave? Then you’ve done a really job good as their employer by providing opportunities for growth. Be sure to offer training, mentoring and clear routes to advance skills and career. If you don’t do it they’ll find it elsewhere you can rest assured of that. Employers that support growth have engaged employees - facts.
Balance as standard
Employees have a life outside of work and respecting their time and personal commitments is one of the best ways to create powerful employee engagement. There are lots of different ways to do this and while your business might have some specific requirements if you are able to offer it then proper flexible work should be standard - choosing your own hours or work pattern and where you work all go a huge way towards supporting employees to find the right balance for them.
Show you care and mean it
True engagement stems from consistent effort and it’s got to be authentic, if you’ve ever worked for an employer who says they care (when really they don’t) you’ll know that quite frankly it stinks. As an employer, you don’t have to do everything all at once and you genuinely don’t have to get it all right every time but if your employees genuinely feel that you care for them you’ll be rewarded with motivation, productivity, loyalty and so much more besides.