Employee engagement impacts every part of a company. Engaged employees are invested in the company’s success and are exceptionally productive, making objectives easier to accomplish. Employee engagement also enhances organizational culture and reduces staff turnover so leaders can focus on other growth areas.
Here, we’ll explain what employee engagement is, its indicators, and how you can improve employee engagement across your organization. And we’ll share strategies to integrate into your processes that will advance your understanding and inform implementation efforts.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is a combination of things. It measures how much employees are motivated by, committed to, and invested in their jobs. Employee engagement occurs when employees feel valued by their company and view their roles as crucial to its overall success. And it’s closely related to employee satisfaction, as happy employees are also the most motivated and engaged.
However when employees aren’t engaged, company performance suffers. In a 2022 Gallup study, it was estimated that employee disengagement costs the world
$7.8 trillion in lost productivity, which is equal to 11% of global GDP.
Qualities of an engaged employee
Having highly engaged employees on your team can affect everything from product quality to customer satisfaction. When employees enjoy their roles, they work with passion and a sense of purpose. They also treat customers better and care about the company outperforming the competition. As a manager, you should know the qualities engaged employees possess so that you can influence and develop these qualities in your people. We have detailed a number of them below.
- Possess a positive attitude
Employees who are genuinely happy with their jobs approach every day with the mindset of possibility. They are self-driven and motivated and believe in their abilities to perform well. These employees are happy to be part of the team and always ready to be helpful.
- Committed to the company
They love their workplace. Engaged employees feel aligned with the company’s values and purpose and want these goals to be realized. And they are brand advocates, helping the company spread its message to a broader audience by proudly sharing these goals and good works online and in general conversations outside of the office environment.
- Are proactive
Engaged employees tend to go the extra mile without being asked. They put in their best effort and find solutions to complete challenging projects. They’re prepared to accomplish daily milestones and take the initiative to get things done.
- Team players
These employees make excellent team members. They love to collaborate with others and always have their mind set on achieving company goals. They can communicate effectively when paired with others and get along well with managers and supervisors.
- Open to new ideas
Team-playing and proactive employees are energized by exploring new things. And as potential options crop up along the way, they are ready to consider and adapt to them. Their main priority is moving their team and the entire organization closer to whatever goal supporting the company’s overarching mission.
- Enthusiastic
The most significant and readily identifiable quality of highly engaged employees is their enthusiasm for their roles and contributions. And they are clear on the performance metrics they meet with their work and aim to exceed them. Enthusiastic employees significantly impact company morale and can move organizational mountains when adequately motivated.
- Reliable
These employees deliver on their word. Engaged employees do not require prodding or repeated instructions before they act. They are low-stress for supervisors as they’re reliable and on point. In fact, engaged employees are typically great candidates for managerial roles
- Dependable
You can depend on engaged employees to get things done. You do not have to worry about these employees hitting their KPIs because these employees will deliver on them. They are hard workers and over-deliver when it counts.
- Interested in learning
Engaged employees are open to learning new things. They enjoy challenges and pursue ways to learn and grow. They seek out training and other continuous improvement opportunities to advance their skills and grow along with the company.
- Have great communication skills
These employees are exceptional communicators. They prioritize effective corporate communication because they know it is crucial to their company’s success.
How to ensure your employees are engaged
Employee engagement can be cultivated. If your employees are currently not enjoying their jobs or putting much effort into them, there are a few things you can do to rectify that—and you need to. Increasing your employees’ engagement levels can significantly impact your company’s overall health.
Here are some ways you can improve employee engagement across your organization.
- Provide a positive work culture
Employees need a work environment that excites them. Create a culture that immerses your employees and aligns with their personal values. Learn more about your employees outside of the office and incorporate activities that enhance their well-being into the work culture.
- Provide managerial support
At most companies, leadership could often be more supportive of employees. Management should make it easy for employees to find and interact with them, and they should ensure they are approachable. Similarly, management should be supportive of employees’ professional growth and should be interested in their lives, including when they face personal challenges.
- Help them find purpose in their roles
Companies do not succeed without a purpose, and employees are similar. Ensure that your employees know your company’s purpose and how their work is purposeful. Familiarize them with the value that you offer your customers and connect it to employees’ contributions. Employees need a sense of purpose to perform well in their roles and to see that their work is so much more than just a paycheck.
- Promote work-life balance
Today’s employees want more out of their jobs. They want flexibility and a balance between their work lives and personal lives. Implement policies that prevent burnout and promote these elements internally so employees can rejuvenate after hectic times. This way, they’ll continue to love their jobs, and you’ll retain top talent that might look elsewhere otherwise.
- Offer fair compensation
Aside from finding purpose in their work, employees also want to be adequately compensated. Providing competitive compensation builds trust in your workplace and shows employees they are valued. And a fairly compensated employee is less likely to explore opportunities elsewhere, heading off high turnover rates.
- Provide adequate benefits
Integrate several benefits into your employees’ compensation plan. What most employees are looking for now is a better quality of life. Ensuring they have adequate health insurance and vacation time is not enough. Get creative and ensure employees find value in the benefits offered, as this lends to long-term love and naturally—improves engagement.
- Give access to the right tools
Today’s employees want to work with top technology as it’s necessary for accomplishing their tasks. But all technology is not created equal, and choosing the right tools can be a chore. A company’s tech stack should integrate with other tools and streamline operations. A hub of communications helps tremendously here, and this is where an intranet comes in. The modern intranet merges social interaction with workplace tasks, boosting productivity and employee engagement.
Simpplr’s intranet capabilities merge and track the qualities detailed above. We act as an employee engagement conduit, creating opportunities to connect, engage and demonstrate how valuable workers are to your company mission. Reach out for a demo to see how simple employee engagement can be!
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