Best Ways to Foster Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are a competitive advantage. When employees believe in a company’s mission and values, love what they do, and feel supported and appreciated, they put forth extra effort to meet expectations and achieve business goals. That’s why top performing companies provide top-notch work environments, to foster employee engagement that drives business success.
Ways Managers Can Foster Engagement
Managers and supervisors play a critical role in employee engagement. Dale Carnegie Training has a blog that discusses ways managers can better foster engagement. Their research shows that the employee/supervisor relationship is the top driver of engagement, and managers can and should be responsible for creating and sustaining engagement with direct reports, departments, and work groups.  Middle managers play a special role in making sure employees feel they are being heard and passing those comments along to senior management. Senior leaders must model the behavior they want, and provide engagement and recognition training and support to direct reports and middle managers.
Best practices for managers to motivate employees identified in the Dale Carnegie research include proactive coaching, leading by example, building trust, and communicating clearly to create a positive work environment. Don’t let struggling employees flounder without input or guidance. Be a role model and set a good example in what you say and do. Treat employees with trust, respect and compassion to help them feel secure and valued. Recognize achievements and offer encouragement and feedback to create a positive work environment.
What All the Top Companies Do
It’s interesting to note that those companies named in lists like Fortune’s Best Companies to Work for in 2014 all seek feedback from employees about what influences their job and employer satisfaction. These companies gauge employee engagement on an ongoing basis, asking employees what makes them feel good about coming to work every day and then providing it. Samantha Zupan of Glassdoor says choice employers make employee satisfaction a priority, making business decisions that support employee needs, wellness and development.  And recognizing, a happy workplace is a productive and successful workplace.
Ongoing Engagement Strategy vs Survey Process
AON Hewitt’s Making Employee Engagement Happen: Best Practices from Best Employers found that the most successful workplaces make employee engagement a business priority rather than a repetitive survey process.  They invest in strong leadership, recognition and productivity tools, and understand their employee value proposition.  Why? Because it works. These top employers enjoy 20 percent more engaged employees than the average employer, produce better results across all key business drivers and have higher revenues. That translates directly to financial results. So the real question is, can your company afford not to follow best practices for employee engagement?
Learn more about bringing engagement, gratitude, and happiness to your workplace, download our FREE guide to “Workplace Gratitude” today.

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