How to Improve Work Engagement

The all-too-common assumption among employers is that they've provided the job, now it's incumbent upon the employee to demonstrate engagement. After all, they actively sought out the position. While there may be something to that, in the real world the onus usually falls on the employer to take steps to enhance work engagement. But what can they do?

5 Tips to Help You Improve Work Engagement

Take a few minutes and read through these tips on how to improve work engagement.

1: Cultivate a positive work culture

Employees will be more engaged with their work if they feel appreciated and respected. If you prioritise open communication, acknowledge a job well done, seek employee input and enable your workers to strike a healthy work/life balance they're more likely to be fully engaged when they're at their desk. Whether that desk is in the office or at home.

2: Establish clear goals

All too often people are brought on board without a clear understanding of what's expected of them. This makes it difficult for them to feel engaged. Goals and expectations should be clearly delineated during the interview process. And if something changes the employee should be notified immediately and new goals and expectations communicated.

3: Encourage professional development

By offering your employees training programmes and career advancement paths you will help ensure they feel engaged and appreciated. People appreciate companies that are willing to invest in them and most will return the sentiment in kind.

4: Create a way to recognise employees

Everybody wants to feel their work is appreciated. When they do they tend to work harder. If you don't currently have a way of recognising outstanding contributions it's time to create one. You can even create bespoke awards tailored to the individual and based on their preferences. That might mean allowing them to work from home sometimes or providing them with a gym membership.

5: Encourage communication

People often have good ideas that they're eager to share. But their employer does not provide a way for them to contribute. If you want your employees to feel engaged, cultivate a culture of communication where employees are free to share their thoughts and ideas. And just as important as providing a vehicle for employee feedback is mastering the fine art of listening.

Conclusion

Improving employee engagement won't happen overnight. It will take a long-term commitment from management. But if they're able to pull it off their entire organisation will benefit.