By Rama Ramaswami
Sponsored by Office Depot
Today, many organizations are transforming their workplace models—or at least thinking about how to pull it off successfully.
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This shift comes at a time when workers are expressing discontent with their jobs. Despite companies’ best efforts, nearly 85% of employees worldwide are either “not engaged” or “actively disengaged” at work, citing reasons ranging from poor management and lack of recognition and reward to mistrust of leadership and little autonomy.
Here are five strategies for helping your employees feel engaged and wanting to stick with you—happily—for the long haul.
Make Engagement An Ongoing Process
Engaged employees are those who are highly involved in and enthusiastic about their work and their company. In its global study of nearly two million employees across 230 organizations, Gallup found that one of the most common mistakes leaders make is to approach employee engagement as simply an HR issue. If efforts to satisfy employees are sporadic or one-off exercises, that’s a big problem when it comes to retaining top-notch talent.
Companies that have integrated engagement into their corporate strategies, however, see significant gains year after year in terms of lower absenteeism, greater productivity, higher profits and lower turnover.
Empower Employees In Practical Ways
Updates to working conditions can make employees feel more content and in control of their well-being. For example, working remotely proved so successful during the pandemic that many leading organizations have adopted some form of it on a permanent basis.
Technology is another area where it pays to seek employee feedback before jumping into investments. Many organizations roll out tools that employees don’t necessarily need or know how to use. Discussing tech needs with employees should be the default first step. Even examining technology usage patterns, for example, can signal where employees tend to drop out of a process or spend extra time looking for information before completing a task. Making it easier for people to accomplish daily work makes their jobs less stressful and more engaging overall, while benefiting business performance.
Keep Corporate Culture Vibrant
Maybe your organization’s corporate culture isn’t warm and fuzzy, but it’s still what keeps employees connected. Traditionally, workplace bonding largely took place in a physical office. That dynamic is changing in the post-pandemic era, however, and leaders should be ready to adapt.
With face-to-face contact more limited, business leaders will need to work much harder to foster employee loyalty and a sense of belonging. That means paying attention to individual needs and adjusting work schedules accordingly. A recurring 9 a.m. meeting may not be ideal for parents who homeschool their kids, for example. And in the absence of spontaneous “watercooler” conversations, leaders may need to check in frequently with their teams—not just about work, but also about their mental and physical health, morale and general motivation.
Focus On ‘Moments That Matter’
One approach to understanding employees is to focus on “moments that matter”—the instances that employees consider most important throughout their day, year and career. For example, applying for time off involves the same process for all types of leave, but applying for parental leave may require a more human touch.
Similarly, employees value (and remember) how they’re treated on their first day of work. If no one knows who they are and their computer doesn’t work, that’s a lost opportunity to create a significant and memorable workplace moment. Cultivate conversations and spaces that empower employees to engage deeply with the company and its culture and recall it in a positive light.
Keep In Mind That Money Isn’t Everything
Employees care about compensation, but it’s only one piece of the equation. A recent survey found that employee engagement surges 55% if organizations recognize people’s work in nonfinancial ways, too. Effective leaders create a recognition-rich environment with steady praise from a variety of sources.
Employee engagement also rises if organizational values are aligned with individual purpose. Most define their purpose through work and expect to be able to contribute to that purpose in their day-to-day role. Employees want to influence outcomes that matter to them.
Looking Ahead
Whether staff is remote, hybrid or on-site in the next decade, don’t wait to address their engagement. Put employee expectations and needs top of mind—and consider putting together an action plan to fulfill those expectations. These five steps may not only power stronger employee engagement, but may also improve the business performance that comes with it.
