Employee engagement has become an increasingly important topic for organizations, managers and staff members alike. According to Forbes“employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”
In other words does an employee actually care about their work and the organization and is (pro)-actively working towards achieving organizational goals? Is there alignment between personal goals and interests and organizational goals and interest? Does employee commitment towards the organization extend beyond the paycheck?
Highly engaged employees and teams have the capacity to transform organizations. Yet research suggest that the majority of organizations still struggle with a disengaged workforce.
So concretely what can you do this week?
As a manager What are 3 things you can do differently this week to boost engagement of your team? Perhaps you may want to practice appreciation by identifying things that went well last week. Don’t look for big ticket items only but focus on the small things as well. Maybe, someone took minutes for you in a meeting, someone reminded you of an upcoming meeting or someone followed up on an item for you. A simple thank you can go a long way.
Schedule time with the individuals in your team to find out if there are any upcoming organizational projects and initiatives they would like to know more about or be more involved in. Ask people if there are any skills they would like to use more to perform more effectively. You may not have immediate solutions for everything. However, this way you and the individuals in your team will be better equipped to identify upcoming opportunities.
Or take some time this week have a look at 9 simple strategies to create happier, more engaged and more productive employees so your organization can thrive you may find some tips that can be easily implemented in your organization.
As a team member
Think about 3 things you can try out this week to appreciate a peer or perhaps even your manager. Is there a way you can give someone a hand this week and support them on a task? Or perhaps you have noticed that your own engagement is slipping so you may want to take some time this week to reflect on what is causing this, who you can talk to and what you can do about it to come up with some strategies. This short video may give you some inspiration