Five Ways Business Leaders Are Boosting Employee Engagement

Having happy clients starts with having engaged employees. Though, creating a culture that motivates your employees to prioritize their client’s needs and pain points, while balancing their career and personal goals, can be challenging for business leaders.

Life experiences, career development, social responsibility and corporate governance are heavily weighted factors when employees accept a new position at a company. But once the “break-in” period is over, how can employers maintain, or even boost, their employee engagement.

Let’s examine five best practices for employers and business leaders to help boost their employee engagement.

Promote the Company’s Direction

Employees want to be both aware of and involved in the company’s goals, particularly as they pertain to their personal and professional ones. Clarity is key here. Begin by establishing a vision for the future, both short- and long-term. Then communicate that vision and desired outcome often and clearly. Whether it’s through all-hands meetings, an internal newsletter from leadership, a town hall webinar featuring the CEO, or one-on-one meetings, ensure that it reaches all levels of the organization. Explain how you will execute that vision and express each department or functional area’s role for success.

Celebrate Small Wins

Recognition and rewards are timeless motivators. And while large wins should always be celebrated and rewarded, they’re typically the result of the sum of small victories. Doing something well (and repeatedly) develops consistency and creates confidence and muscle memory. Celebrate these small wins and those employees who are responsible for the results. Small things can make a big difference. For example, modest spot-bonuses and simple public recognition can go a long way in boosting engagement.

 Host and Encourage Team Activities

Building camaraderie doesn’t happen by sitting together in a workspace or conference room. Trust needs to be developed. This starts with the leader’s ability to break down barriers and understand what is important to their employees. A team activity is one vehicle to promote creative thinking, understand your co-workers and what motivates them, and have some fun in the process.

Develop Clear Career Paths

While it’s important to understand where your business stands, most employees want to know their path forward—both personally and professionally. Creating career paths for your employees promotes transparency and provides a clear roadmap for their career progression. Take it a step further—develop a competency model attached to each step so employees can self-improve and share in the responsibility of their career development.

Openly Discuss Engagement

Employee engagement is clearly a good thing, and it should be discussed. HR professionals have long been charged with developing creative ideas on boosting employee engagement, trying to find a magic wand that develops a winning culture. But it’s tough to know exactly what motivates your employees if you don’t ask. Whether it’s through individual meetings, anonymous feedback or engagement surveys, ask for input and listen. By giving employees a voice, implementing their suggestions and sharing their contributions, you can build a program unique to your people—one that they are likely to embrace.

Employee engagement has climbed the ranks from being an area of responsibility for the HR department to being at the forefront of executive leaders’ strategic planning. Developing a culture that empowers your employees through engagement will motivate them to accomplish great things while providing an enjoyable and rewarding environment for all.