Building Employee Engagement One Day at a Time

Employee engagement has all the earmarks of a marriage—a business one, anyway. It exists when employees feel they have jobs with employers they support, believe in and to whom they can make personal contributions.

Regardless of the size of the company at which you work (or own!), building employee engagement is critical to your organization’s success. One study done by the Gallup Organization revealed that companies exhibiting the highest levels of employee engagement are more likely to have above-average productivity (50%), retention (44%) and profitability (33%). Additional research has also proven that “engaged employees” enjoy their job more, are more likely to stay with their company and are more likely to be advocates of its products and services and contributors to its bottom line.

In a recent Gallup survey, however, it revealed evidence of declining employee engagement, finding that only 26 percent of employees consider themselves “actively engaged” in their work.

Disengaged Employees—Help Yourselves!

How about you? If you are an employee who is finding that you are becoming more and more disengaged, remember that the job you hold with your company is your livelihood. Maintaining a positive attitude and following these simple guidelines may be helpful to you and everyone around you:

• Recognize that executives, managers and business owners make decisions to ensure the future of the enterprise. At times, these decisions make you unhappy, especially when you are personally aff ected. Contrary to what you might think, executives and business owners are not heartless people. Many have expressed sadness over decisions to make cuts that will directly affect their employees. Keep in mind, it’s not easy to be an executive or entrepreneur—it’s tough. Real tough. Yes, they make the decisions and the big bucks, but they don’t always make the rules. They have a tough board of directors and stockholders (or owners, if the company is privately owned) who expect high profits. When they don’t see profits, they don’t want to hear the reasons why. They only want results. Know what is expected of you. Ask questions and wait for the answers. If it’s not clear to you, don’t hesitate to ask again. You’ll never be sure where you stand if you don’t have direct answers to your concerns.
• Deliver exceptional service to customers and your sales team. Without them, no one in your company gets a paycheck.
• “To thine own self be true.” Be willing to put yourself on the line and express yourself. Discuss your ideas and areas of concern with management, but use tact and diplomacy in your approach. Be prepared to offer creative suggestions and solid solutions to problems. The wish of every executive and manager is to have their people come forward not only with problems, but solutions. Grant that wish.
• Focus on your strengths and commit to doing your best. That’s all anyone wants from you.
• Keep your life in balance so you don’t buckle under the pressure to perform. And laugh a little! Business is serious, but find a reason to have a laugh or two each day.

The vast majority of employees today have little control over their work environments. It’s important that you focus on the positive. Keep your life in balance and seek enjoyable relationships at work. When you make an effort to do so, you will feel more fulfilled and will become more “fully engaged.” TPW