The question of how to improve employee engagement has been asked and answered many times.
For the most part, the answer usually comes down to improving work-life balance by increasing flexibility, providing opportunities for development and training, and creating a supportive environment in which employees can feel safe taking risks.
But what about those organisations who are already doing all these things? What does it look like when an organisation's employees are fully engaged?
How do happy employees act differently than disengaged ones?
In this article, we'll provide a brief overview of what makes engaged teams successful as well as explore different strategies you might be able to use to improve employee engagement at your organisation.
Engaged employees are passionate about their work, this one should be obvious, but it's important to state nevertheless - engaged employees care about their work and they care about the success of their business. They don't see it as simply another company that hires them for a job; rather, they believe in the work it does and take an active role in furthering its business goals.
Their passion leads them to want to do well in their role, to make useful contributions to team discussions, come up with new ideas or suggestions for improvement, and stay until the work is done instead of leaving early or coming in late.
Engaged employees bring energy into the office. It feels great to work with people who are passionate about what they do.
What makes a team engaged?
For a group of co-workers to become an engaged team, they have to be able to strengthen the social connections between each other so that they feel responsible and accountable towards one another. Research shows that a sense of community is more important than job satisfaction when it comes to engagement. When employees feel socially connected, not only do they feel happier and more fulfilled in their work, but their productivity increases as well.
Employees need opportunities to build strong social connections with their peers. This requires personal connection as well as an opportunity for building trust and sharing ideas outside of formal meetings or presentations within the office setting.
Leaders can help encourage social connections by hosting events outside of the office setting where employees can get to know each other in a different context. Part of these activities must involve dialogue and human interaction rather than simply having fun (e.g., hitting the dance floor).
The power of empathy
One thing that highly engaged teams do is put themselves in their co-workers' shoes before offering feedback or making decisions. They are better able to understand how changes might affect others on the team which prevents them from acting selfishly. This requires leaders to model this behaviour by thinking about how their actions will affect others within the team.
When teams can form empathetic connections, achieving consensus decisions becomes much easier.
Highly engaged teams understand that work is an ongoing process of adapting, changing, and integrating new strategies to achieve the desired result. They don't get too attached to one idea or way of doing things, they value feedback from others on the team, and they have a strong commitment to using this input constructively.
Employees who are more satisfied with their jobs tend to be more committed to their organisations which also means better financial performance for the company. Luckily employee engagement can be improved in small ways if you keep these tips in mind. It's important for leaders not only to create a culture of open communication but also make it known when employees exceed expectations with their work or show an initiative for solving problems.
Also, some of the best engagement strategies are simple things you can do to make your team feel more connected and supported. Some of these include establishing clear communication protocols, using video chat tools, and creating social activities that team members can participate in together. As a bonus, these types of activities are also proven to improve productivity!
Whether you're trying to motivate employees or get them excited about new projects they must understand how their work contributes towards achieving business goals. This allows them the ability to connect emotionally with each other so they feel responsible for one another's success which builds trust among their peers.
By observing what emotions your culture elicits within the workplace - both positive and negative - you may be able to recognise the source of disconnection for employees. Once you understand how your actions might be causing emotional dissonance, you can begin implementing changes that will improve job satisfaction and productivity.
Leaders help create a culture of open communication within the team by fostering healthy dialogue between peers where people can ask questions or share ideas without fear of judgement. They also make it known when employees exceed expectations with their work or show initiative for solving problems to model behaviour that demonstrates empathy towards others on the team.
Facilitating engagement in your remote team
For organisations or leaders with a large amount of virtual or remote employees, it can be extremely difficult to improve employee engagement because there are fewer opportunities for social connection outside of the confines of the office.
However, if you are managing a virtual team - whether they're across town or on another continent - there are still many things that you can do to help build positive connections between members and increase their sense of community.
Even though employees may not be face-to-face all day, they have access to various technologies which make it possible for them to communicate more frequently through instant messaging, video chat tools, phone calls, and email.
One of the best ways to ensure that employees are connected with their peers is to use video chat tools like Zoom or Teams, especially for regular meetings. A great alternative to traditional conference rooms, these tools allow you to bring everyone together in an instant and create a sense of intimacy among team members who might not otherwise interact on a day-to-day basis.
Another way to enhance your virtual employee's connection with one another is through social activities that promote collaboration outside of work hours. These types of initiatives help build rapport which enhances overall engagement, so improve your chances of achieving better results by implementing them into your culture early on.
As mentioned before there are many simple strategies leaders can implement today to improve employee engagement within their virtual team. The key is putting the right tools in place to facilitate communication and give employees a sense of community that they can rely on when they're at work or away from the office.
If you're searching for methods to keep your remote team members engaged with their job and each other, or if you want to boost employee engagement, contact us right away for more information on how we can assist you.