Create a Culture of Engagement

Employee engagement can improve both the employee experience and customer experience by improving motivation. When employees are engaged, teams perform better, profitability increases, and retention goes up. These tips can help your organization develop a culture of engagement.

Focus on Career Development

The more employees feel like they’re learning and progressing in their careers, the more engaged they will be. By making training and education a part of your company’s culture, providing opportunities for employees to branch out and challenge themselves, and promoting upskilling you can keep your team motivated to succeed. At Blue Rock Search we have incorporated a bi-weekly, 30-minute call between each employee and one of our partners. It seems to cement the employees’ feelings of belonging to an organization that cares about how they fit into the company for the long-term. Their personal development is the sole subject of each call. With this regular interface they are comfortable in offering up options for continuing education or industry events that they feel would add value to their contribution to the organization as well as their personal growth. Companies who don’t focus enough on career development will have employees who easily become bored, which leads to higher turnover and lower team morale.

Show Consistent Recognition

Most professionals want to feel seen and appreciated. By showing your team encouragement and recognition, you can create a more engaging work environment. You don’t necessarily need to shower your employees with praise each day, but you want to acknowledge their hard work and treat them with kindness and respect. Otherwise, they may start to feel alienated, which will decrease their engagement, prompting them to start looking for different job opportunities. Showing recognition also helps employees know what they are doing well, which can help them stay driven to succeed.

Show That Each Person’s Voice Matters

To build a more engaging culture you must empower your employees. One way you can empower your team members is to allow them to have a voice. You want to encourage employees to share their ideas and speak up when they have a concern. Not only will this create a more collaborative atmosphere, it will help employees feel valued, improve motivation, and establish more opportunities for employees to become passionate about their work.

Avoid Micromanaging Your Team

Another way to empower your employees is to trust them to do their job and give them greater responsibility when possible. When teams are micromanaged, they quickly become disengaged. When employees have more autonomy, the work becomes more challenging and successes feel more earned. They also learn more. The more control you give employees on how they do their job, the more engaged they will be.

There are many benefits that arise when you have a culture designed to engage employees, including higher productivity and retention. You can help foster a culture of engagement by providing career development opportunities, showing recognition, and empowering employees.

by Christopher Rios