EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER
Employee engagement can sound like a very desirable concept to introduce into your workplace. But what does it really mean to be a leader of employee engagement, and what exactly are its benefits? This book is designed to help leaders, managers, and supervisors understand how becoming a more engaged leader can help them perform their jobs. The book will describe “What’s in it for me?” about becoming a more engaged leader. And it will explain the real advantages for a supervisor or manager in creating a more engaged workplace for their employees.
Employee engagement really does begin with leadership. True to its name, employee engagement is about fully utilizing the talents, skills, creativity, and experiences of employees who work for you. Supervisors and managers who take advantage of employee engagement are using their most valuable resource—their employees—to reach their greatest potential. Supervisors and managers around the world have enjoyed the results of the many potential benefits of employee engagement. However, it is also important to realize that achieving your employee engagement goals doesn’t happen overnight. It is a journey, just like any other challenging goal or objective you may strive to reach.
Important to understanding what employee engagement is all about is the concept of discretionary effort. Engaged employees give more effort, are more concerned about their jobs, and are more emotionally invested in contributing as a member of the organization. Engaged employees do more than just show up for work; they bring their hearts and their minds to their jobs as well, and feel connected with the success of the business or enterprise. Engaged employees believe that what they do on the job is important and they feel they are valued for their work. This can make a huge difference in both their attitude and commitment to their jobs as well as in the quality of their work.
Key Factors for Engagement
Numerous critical factors need to exist for employee engagement to be successful. Understanding these factors can help you increase employee engagement in your organization or work group, enabling you as a leader to better meet the challenges you face on your job.
The working relationship that employees have with their bosses and supervisors makes a huge difference in the level of engagement that they feel as part of the organization. The most important factor for establishing greater employee engagement is building trust and respect between a supervisor or manager and those who report to him. This trust and respect begins with effective communication. A leader must be a good communicator, not only by sharing information important for employees to be able to perform their jobs, but also by being a good listener. A leader must respect the opinions of employees, especially concerning their expertise on their jobs. If someone spends as much time working on a job as each employee does, then it just makes sense that she will gain valuable and important insights into how that job could be best performed. Listening to employees’ input and suggestions is an important part of becoming an engaged leader. A supervisor or manager also needs to “walk the talk,” meaning he must do what he says he will do. A leader can’t say one thing and do another if he expects to gain the respect of others—especially from employees.
Another key factor is thinking about the nature of the jobs that employees perform. As a leader or supervisor, you need to think about how to make your employees’ jobs more interesting, challenging, and ultimately rewarding. Of course, there are inherent limitations in many jobs—some jobs won’t appear to be challenging or interesting—but if you give this some creative thought, you can make a big difference. You should also consider asking employees how they feel their jobs could be made more challenging and productive. You might just be surprised how ingenious and innovative employees can be when given the opportunity to make suggestions about how their jobs could be more efficient and productive.
Employees also need to understand why their jobs are important and how they contribute to the company’s overall performance. There is a reason why every job exists and a purpose for its existence. Surprisingly, employees often don’t understand how their job fits into the bigger picture or why it is important on a higher level. When you provide the opportunity for employees to understand this, it can make a big difference in their level of commitment and dedication about how they perform their jobs. An employee can change how he perceives his job by visiting other parts of the organization or interacting more with the customers. Giving employees the chance to see how their work affects others, including the ultimate customer, helps them better understand the importance of their position.
Employees also need to have the ability to grow and develop in their jobs. Career growth is important to everyone. It doesn’t necessarily mean a promotion—growth can exist even within an employee’s current job. There are many skills, challenges, and opportunities that can become part of an existing job, although they are not listed as part of the current job description. You must encourage employees to think about how they can grow in their jobs, whether through a promotion or within their current position. This helps keep them motivated and working toward their future growth and development.
Employees feel they are important contributing members of the team when they are part of a group working together toward shared goals. They feel an identity and connection to the others and then work harder to help the team reach its goals. And, perhaps most importantly, they are able to accomplish more working together than as independent contributors in the organization.
Employees also should feel good about the organization where they work. People want to work for a company that has a good reputation in the community and the marketplace. Employees want to see their employer engaged in and working toward the greater good of the community and society. In this type of work culture, employees will want to contribute and enhance the company’s good reputation. They want to identify with this reputation and feel that they are part of it as well.
As a leader, you play a very important role in helping make the changes needed to create a more engaged workplace. You then enjoy the many benefits that can be achieved as a result. The following 12 leadership actions are critically important to beginning this journey to a more engaged workplace. Each one of these actions sends an important message to employees that you are serious about changing the culture and their roles in the organization. The 12 actions help you create a collaborative workplace in which everyone benefits.
12 Leadership Actions for Greater Employee Engagement
The Employee Engagement Difference
Employee engagement can mean many different things to different people. Employee engagement is about getting people more involved in their jobs. This involvement goes way beyond just getting employees to come to work each day. It is what happens after they come in the door that makes the difference between employees who are engaged at work or not. The difference between just showing up and being truly involved in your job can be extraordinary. Employee engagement begins with believing that each individual employee can make a difference and has something important to contribute to the whole. It is recognizing and respecting the expertise that each employee brings to his job. Unfortunately, in many work environments today, this is not the case, and many employees are not provided with opportunities to share their expertise and experience. This results in employees who are less motivated and less productive in their jobs. Think about the difference that having engaged employees can make. Imagine what it must be like to have employees who think about how they can perform their jobs better and more efficiently without you constantly trying to get them to do this. Picture just how much better you would be able to reach the goals and objectives of your job if you had more engaged employees reporting to you. This book will help you learn how you can actually achieve such a workplace. Each chapter reviews a different leadership benefit from creating such a workplace of employee engagement. As a result, you can become a more effective and successful leader.
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