Did you know that only 15% of employees across the world are engaged in their jobs? That number is staggering because it means that 85% of employees are not invested in committing their time, talent, and energy to add value to their team and advance the mission of their organization. Research shows that employee disengagement costs the United States as much as $550 billion a year in lost productivity.
Knowing what you do now, do you know whether your employees are engaged on your team? Sometimes it may be hard to tell, but there are ways for you, as a leader, to get involved and assess the engagement of your employees. There are also ways to improve employee engagement overall so that they aren’t costing the organization money and they aren’t wasting time waiting for that clock to hit 5 p.m. so they can leave.
As a leader your first step is to define engagement. What is the vision of the organization? Why are your employees important in that vision? How does their role impact that overall vision? This also is a great opportunity to ensure that the employees that are on your team are completely invested. If not, now may be the time to choose to part ways with that employee and find someone who will be behind the vision and fit that role perfectly. You also need to give your team the resources they need to do their jobs, and do them well.
Once you have defined all this and underwent an evaluation of your team and are sure you have the right people for the job, now comes the fun part. You need to sit down with all of the members of your team individually and assess their true level of engagement.
Your employees need to be able to state the following:
- I know what is expected of me and my work quality.
- I have the resources and training to thrive in my role.
- I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.
- I frequently receive recognition, praise, and constructive criticism.
- I trust my manager and believe they have my best interests in mind.
- My voice is heard and valued.
- I clearly understand the mission and purpose and how I contribute to each.
- I have opportunities to learn and grow both personally and professionally.
There are five steps to take in order to continue monitoring engagement on your team:
Step 1 – Put everyone in the right role
Yes, continue to monitor the role everyone is playing in the organization and ensure that it continues to be the best fit for the company and for the employee.
Step 2 – Give them the training
Your employees can’t be expected to continue to produce amazing results without the right training to do so. So provide your employees with continued personal and professional development and training opportunities.
Step 3 – Task meaningful work
Employees who are engaged believe they make a difference in the company and know that they contribute to the company’s mission, purposes, and objectives. Find out your employees strengths and weaknesses. Give them work that will mean a lot to them and give them a sense of purposes.
Step 4 – Check in often
This is very important. Employees want your feedback. They want to know when they’re doing a good job. This keeps them engaged and happy and excited to do great work time and time again. You can use both formal and informal check-ins, but try to do them every week.
Step 5 – Frequently discuss engagement
It’s important that your employees know that you are monitoring their engagement and that what they do and the time they spend on something matters. Mention it at team meetings or when you’re talking with your employees one-on-one. This will also improve your employees engagement on your team.
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