What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is a measure of how strongly and passionately employees feel connected to their employer and their company. How strongly they feel connected to these often influences the quality of their work and how much effort is put into the work.

Disengagement can be detrimental to a company’s productivity, profitability, and overall well-being of the staff. This is why ideas on how to improve employee engagement are such a hot topic.

There are several steps that can be actioned to improve employee engagement to keep staff motivated and engaged.

Communicate Regularly

Communicating company news frequently to employees maintains engagement, whether this is in the form of in-person company meetings or via emails through a company email network.

For improved employee engagement, simple steps such as having an HR system or an internal communication system to share company news, having an accessible intranet or having informative posters displayed around the office can be effective in keeping employees in the loop.

Keeping employees informed about relevant company information contribute to making them feel valued and part of the team. 

Examples of relevant information that can be communicated could include any changes to HR policies, client news, new staff hires or celebrating staff birthdays. The littlest of communications are often appreciated, as long as they are relevant.

Recognise Achievements

Recognising the achievements of employees and their hard work is an effective way to improve employee engagement in the workplace. 

Employees feeling like their work is appreciated and is of good quality keeps their engagement and motivation high. Knowing work is generally appreciated and is appreciated by management gives employees that little extra boost.

Prioritise Feedback

If you don’t already do so, ask for feedback or suggestions from your employees on how they think the workplace can be improved. 

Create an easy feedback system or suggestion box and offer anonymous entries for employees who don’t feel confident about giving feedback publicly.

Put the feedback into action where possible and see employees become happier and feel listened to.

Be Aware of Mental Health

It is much easier for employees to engage with their work when employers continually make an effort to look after their staff’s mental wellbeing.

There are some steps that can be taken to create a healthy workplace. A few examples of this could be to train mental health first aiders, promote healthy forms of exercise and encourage taking breaks from computer screens every so often.

There are important questions to answer when assessing the mental health of the workplace which will allow employers to know when to intervene. Do employees often work late? Are their workloads too high? Do employees feel pressured to come into work when they’re ill? Do employees catch up on work on their days off?

Challenge Employees

A great way to improve employee engagement is to challenge employees and let them try new things and different tasks.

Challenging employees engage their brains and often requires problem-solving and thought. If employees feel that their superiors think they’re capable of more difficult tasks they are likely to feel more respected and engaged with the company and with their work.

Encourage Flexibility

Now more than ever workplaces offering employees flexibility in when and where they choose to work contributes to improving overall employee engagement.

If employees are granted flexibility in their working hours or are offered remote working, this gives them more freedom and makes them feel more valued and trusted. Employees tend to be more productive and happier when they can work to a routine that fits their own lives.

Why is Employee Engagement Important?

How engaged and valued employees feel at their workplace affects their actions, which then inevitably will have a negative domino effect on the business.

The way a company treats their employees has an influence on their actions and how passionate they feel about their job. If employees are treated well by their company, this will positively affect their actions and work.

Improving employee engagement is vital to any business, regardless of its size or finances because employees are the key to the success of a business. The employees are what keep the all-important cogs of a business turning.

Companies that truly value their employees and demonstrate that they do often reap the rewards of a dedicated and skilled workforce. Whereas, those that do not nurture and motivate their staff will never get the most out of their workforce.

What are the Benefits of Employee Engagement?

Having engaged employees is evidently good for a business and for its workers. Engaged employees are often happier, more challenged and more motivated.

Research shows that high employee engagement and performance go together hand in hand. High employee engagement has a positive effect on:

  • Productivity
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Staff retention
  • The overall wellbeing of employees
  • Efficiency

Who is Responsible for Employee Engagement in the Workplace?

Employee engagement should be the responsibility of the manager.

Managers are in charge of ensuring employees know what work needs to be done and supporting them and advising them when necessary. It’s down to managers to make employees feel appreciated and that their work is contributing to the company’s success.

To succeed with this responsibility, managers need to be ready to have supportive and motivational conversations with their employees without seeming patronising or as if they are micromanaging. Finding the right balance is key to being a successful manager.

What Drives Employee Engagement?

There are so many different factors affecting employee engagement and a mix of all of these driving factors can be the perfect combination for peak employee engagement.

All the best answers to the age-old question on how to improve employee engagement stem from one of these factors:

  • Purpose
  • Development
  • Coaching
  • Conversations and praise
  • A fair wage
  • Having strengths utilised

Looking for Tools To Improve Engagement?

We offer various software for education establishments that can aid the engagement of its employees and students. 

Some examples of the software we offer include communications management software, policy management software and employee training management software. All of which aid and contribute to engagement in their own ways.

If you’d like to learn more about our software, you can either book a demo, or contact us directly for a no-obligation quote.