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In current scenario of competitive market, it cannot be said that employee engagement is something that is related to luxury. Rather it is necessity of today’s competitive business landscape. The employees who are engaged are not only productive. These employees like innovation and they are passionate about work. Such employees remain loyal to the company or business. They are not those who just perform their regular duties. They do their best and contribute significantly for success of the company by promoting a positive work environment. Such employees work with the same company for longer period of time. In this way they reduce employee’s turnover ratio.
What is Employee Engagement?
Now the question arises, what exactly is employee engagement and how can we cultivate it within our company or organization?
As discussed above, employee engagement goes beyond mere satisfaction. It is something termed as attachment of employees for the organization. It can be both mental and emotional. They also have attachment with the goals of company. The engaged employees always possess these qualities:
Enthusiastic:
The engaged employees are always enthusiastic and they are so keen that they truly care about their work.
Committed:
The engaged employees are so committed that they feel a sense of loyalty for the company. It can be said that these are the employees who are truly invested in the success of the company.
Productive:
Engaged employees do not just do their specified tasks. They work beyond their duties and always strive for excellence.
Collaborative:
The engaged employees are always collaborative. They actively participate in teamwork. They always have meaningful contribution in successful projects.
Key Strategies for Building a Culture of Employee Engagement:
Creating a culture of employee engagement is not the process which takes 2 days, 2 months or 2 years. Rather it is an ongoing process which takes time and efforts. These efforts will turn into meaningful results for the company. There are following strategies to be followed if anyone wants to keep employees engaged:
1. Invest in Company’s People
There are following ways through which a company can invest in employees;
Learning and Development:
Top management should focus on continuous learning of employees. For this purpose, different workshops, training programs and conferences should be offered to the employees. Such training initiatives would help employees to develop those skills which can be beneficial for their career growth.
Give Power to Employees:
A recent report of LinkedIn shows that those companies which give more power to the employees, are more successful. Giving power to the employees gives a sense of ownership of specific tasks to the employees. In this way, they solve problems more efficiently, think differently and also contribute in success of projects.
Celebrate Success of Employees and Company’s Culture:
If any company wants to be more successful then, it should celebrate the success of employees. Because do so will motivate the employees and it will show company’s appreciation for employees. It is also recommended that management should arrange social events for celebrating company’s culture. It will show a deep connection of company with its employees.
2. Encourage Open Communication
Environment of open communication can be achieved through following ways;
Get Feedback:
It is always recommended to get feedback from employees. Because there are chances that managers are unaware of something. There are two important ways of getting feedback from employees. First is an anonymous survey and second is one-on-one meeting with employees. So, getting honest feedback from employees can be beneficial for creating an open communication environment in the company.
Be Transparent:
Manager should transparently share information with employees. Because sharing information about company’s goals and objective, would build trust in employees.
Practice Active Listening:
It is suggested that managers should actively listen to the queries and suggestions of employees regarding projects. By doing so will show that the perspective of employees has been respected.
3. Positive Work Environment
There are following ways that help to create positive work environment in the company;
Promote A Healthy Work-Life Balance:
There is need of work-life balance for a business to be successful. So, it is recommended that the managers should promote a healthy work-life balance. It can be done by vacations and many other recreational activities. It will reduce stress of employees.
Promote Well-Being:
It is recommended to promote well-being of employees by offering different programs like health programs and child education programs etc. These programs will decrease the stress of employees and will improve the mental and physical health of employees.
4. Listen and Adapt
There are 3 suggestions for this strategy. First is related to measuring efficiency of employees regularly. This will help managers to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of employees. Second is related to feedback. Managers should not just collect feedback from employees. This is not just a formality. There is needed to act upon the feedback provided by employees. It will show that their suggestions are given importance. Third is related to consistency. Employee engagement cannot be obtained in few days. This will take time and efforts. So, managers should work consistently to get desired results.
Conclusion:
Building employee engagement is an ongoing process which takes time and efforts. This is not the duty of only top management. Every department of the company should be participating in this process if the company wants to grow and wants more success. When the company is giving more importance to its employees and is creating a culture in which employees are empowered. Then employees will feel a sense of responsibility to work for longer period of time for obtaining goals of the company.
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