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How to Engage Employees – A Complete Guide for Managers 

One of the key factors to running a successful business is knowing how to engage employees. If the leaders of a business or organization understand the level of passion their workforce has for the job, they are a step ahead of the competition.

As a manager, you want your employees to have pride in what they do and in the company they work for. Those who work with purpose put forth their best efforts; a practice that can only benefit the goal of your organization. It’s important to look at every aspect of why people do the work they do and what drives them to do it.

If you are operating in a managerial position, getting to know your employees will be a key part to a successful evaluation of how engaged your staff is. From their backgrounds to their hobbies, skill sets, family life, all the aspects of your employees will end up becoming part of your workplace environment. Arming yourself with the knowledge on how to blend that into a productive, positive environment is an important skill to have as a manager.

Ask yourself, just how much do my employees genuinely care what happens to the company’s future? Are they dedicated to helping it expand and be successful? If you aren’t sure of the answers yet, it’s okay. There are ways to determine the level of employee engagement among your staff, as well as learn how to engage employees.

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is more than just knowing whether someone likes their job or not. Measuring employee engagement lets you know how committed they are to the business and its success. It tells you how motivated they are and how emotionally invested they are in the work they are doing.

For an employee to be engaged, they are motivated to work hard towards a common goal that is in line with the company’s vision. They will be committed to the values their organization represents. Engaged employees will have a clear view and understanding of the objectives of the work they are doing.

Understanding the level of engagement is the first step in utilizing this knowledge to your benefit. The next step is working on improving employee engagement within the organization or business. As a manager, creating a workforce that is not just happy, but engaged and motivated to produce, will clear one hurdle on the path to success.

Going beyond the basic employee engagement definition, managers should know that there are two primary focuses of this practice. Not only should you understand their level of engagement with the company, but also with the managers. The latter is a look at how these employees feel about their direct superiors and whether they feel they are treated fairly.

Employees with higher levels of engagement with their managers tend to feel they are getting direction on the work they do, and feedback on their performance. These employees will have a mutual feeling of respect with their managers, which also lends to the sense of being a valued part of the company.

Organizations that implement an employee engagement strategy can most likely say that their workforce has faith in their leadership and they believe the company acts in a fair and respectful manner. When high levels of employee engagement with the business itself are partnered with observant and caring managers, all facets of your business increase. It allows for an increase in production, elevated customer satisfaction, and worker competency to be at an all-time high.

What Do Employees Need to Feel Engaged?

A few factors to consider in this area are the company and its leadership. You can’t expect your staff to become engaged if there is no clear and decisive message for them to embrace. Before you can start to measure their level of engagement ask yourself the following:

  • Are your company’s goals and visions clear and concise?
  • Do the employees understand these goals?
  • Is there a clear link between the employee’s work and the company’s goals?
  • Can the employees see how their work ultimately contributes to the success of the business?
  • Is the leadership of the organization present and able to motivate the workforce?
  • Are the managers equipped with the skills needed to lead a team to success?

When all these components are in place, you can begin to look closer at how well engaged your employees are. Taking a close look at the business and its leadership first can also help you further develop employee engagement strategies and practices.


Sebastien Boyer, PSPO

Image courtesy of smarnad at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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