How to Cultivate Strong Employee Engagement

Much of the information in this topic is adapted from the books Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision in Business
and Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff.

Sections of This Topic Include

What is Employee Engagement?
Why is Employee Engagement So Important?
How Can I Cultivate Stronger Employee Engagement?

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What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement has become one of the most important concepts in leadership
and management. It is often at the top of the list of the most important topics
in this decade. It is based on the premise that the more engaged an employee
is, the higher the employee is performing. Let us look at two different views
on the topic:

Employee Engagement is a fundamental concept in the effort to understand
and describe, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the nature of the relationship
between an organization and its employees. An “engaged employee” is
defined as one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and
so takes positive action to further the organization’s reputation and interests.
An engaged employee has a positive attitude towards the organization and its
values. An organization with “high” employee engagement might therefore
be expected to outperform those with “low” employee engagement “.
— Wikipedia

Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions
for all members of an organisation to give of their best each day, committed
to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational
success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. — Engage for
Success

Also consider:

What Is Employee Engagement?

Why is Employee Engagement So Important?

Do you manage by walking around? What do you see? People excited about their job or people just going through the motions?

When employees care about their work and their company — when they are engaged
— they use discretionary effort. This means the engaged computer programmer
works overtime when needed, without being asked. This means the engaged retail
clerk picks up the trash on the store floor, even if the boss isn’t watching.
This means the nurse comes into your room to see how you’re doing in addition
to just giving you your meds. So how do you, as a manager or supervisor
turn “it’s
just a job” employees into engaged,
energized employees?

Here are seven actions, that do not cost much if anything, yet have great impact.
Which ones will work with your workforce?

1. Spend time out in the field.
Ask your employees how you can help make their jobs easier. Work alongside them
and even let them teach you what they do. Southwest Airlines has a mandate that
every manager must spend 1/3 of his or her time in direct contact with employees
and customers to create a stronger feeling of teamwork.

2. Celebrate everything you can.
For example, meeting of short term goals, the end of the budget process, winning
grants or new customers, extraordinary work, safety successes.

3. Hold informal “grapevine sessions” to control the flow
of the rumor mill.
Managers must be prepared to listen and to be completely truthful and open.
Even when they can’t share specific information, they can honestly explain why
and when it will be available.

4. Let people know what they do is important.
Help your workers focus not on only a job description but also on how they fit
into the big picture. That new sense of purpose will boost their self-esteem
and motivation.

5. Don’t let respect slip under the radar screen.
If you treat your employees with respect you will earn their respect. For example,
if you pay attention to and take care of your front-line people, they will in
turn pay attention to and take care of the customer. Start with daily greetings.
Remember their birthdays or other important dates. Take an interest in their
interests. Say thank you for a job well done.

6. Take them serious.
There’s incredible brainpower all around you, so why not put it to work? You
hired your employees because you thought they could make a valuable contribution.
Ask for their suggestions to problems. Include them in decisions that affect
their work. Give them enough authority that goes with their responsibility.

7. Work for your people.
Listen and act quickly on their questions. Clear the way so they can do their
jobs well. Once people see their leader as acting for them, or on their behalf,
they develop a personal loyalty that energizes their performance.

Management Success Tip:

So why is employee engagement so important? Here’s one way to answer that question:
An employee that not only sees the glass half full but wants to contribute to
the filling of the glass. That’s important because engaged employees lead to higher
service, quality and productivity; which leads to higher customer satisfaction;
which leads to increased sales (repeat business and referrals) which leads to
better business outcomes. Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

Need a speaker? Get
the Edge keynotes-webinars-workshops.

How Can I Cultivate Stronger Employee Involvement?

Here are a variety of views on the topic — most of them believing that the
more engaged an employee is, the more satisfied and higher performing the employee
is. Some articles go beyond this premise, to remind us that the ultimate aim
of an engaged employee is not always around performance. It is to help all employees
to find keep meaning and fulfillment in their life and work.

10
Things to Do to Have Engaged, Energized Employees
Engaging
Your Employee for Better B
Three
Strategies to Connect and Engage Employees
The
2018 Clear & Complete Guide to Employee Engagement
What
is Employee Engagement – Engage for SuccessEngage for Success
How
To Establish A Culture Of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement – Wikipedia
What Engages Employees the Most OR, the Ten Cs of Employee Engagement?
11 fatal ways to kill employee engagement | Insurance Business
Employee Engagement | Gallup
The New Rules of Employee Engagement | Inc.com
What Great Managers Do to Engage Employees
5 Companies Getting Employee Engagement Right
7 Tips to Increase Employee Engagement Without Spending a Dime
The Best Employee Engagement Strategy Is From The Bottom Up
Key Employee Engagement Strategies for 2018
Developing an Employee Engagement Strategy.pdf
The 6 most effective employee engagement strategies

For the Category of Supervision:

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