Keeping Employees Engaged and Ready to Work

Keeping Employees Engaged and Ready to Work

By Robert Boroff | Google +

Engaged employees are happy employees. They are critical to a company’s success, especially with the struggling economy. Keeping employees engaged is also important for employers because when the economy does make a turn for the better, they will make a move if they are not happy. Motivated employees who are excited to do their jobs and to do them well are extremely valuable and committed, while those employees who become disconnected may demonstrate low commitment, involvement or productivity. While many managers focus on putting in an effort to increase engagement, most employees are missing the underlying issues that hinder their employee’s discretionary effort. With this said, it is extremely important to look at the various ways to keep employees engaged and alert.

Employees’ Emotions

According to employee engagement expert Michael Lee Stallard, “emotional factors impact employee engagement four times as much as rational factors.” Recognizing this fact can be extremely useful for managers who are looking to boost employee engagement. Even if employee engagement is not a current issue you are facing, it is important that you are still aware of these facts to continue avoiding this topic. It can also help knowing the facts and how to help if you feel that your employees are losing interest or motivation with what they are doing. Changing up activities has also proven to be quite helpful in solving issues like these. While common tactics such as company-wide parties or extensive training may be helpful, most do not address employees’ emotional factors or satisfaction with their actual job and work that they do.

So how do you attend to your employees’ emotional issues? The most important thing to do is to find out what sort of emotional issues are controlling your employees. Are they worried about their personal finances? Are they anxious about disappointing their significant other? Or maybe concerned that they are not living up to their personal expectations? It is important to know your employees well enough personally and in work-related situations. Whatever the case, it is vital that as a manager you discover the emotional pulls that your employees may be feeling. Instead of guessing, take the time to survey your employees and get to the bottom of their emotional restraints. Then you can begin to address their emotional factors and increase their engagement at the office.

Engaged employees are, for the most part, 20% more productive than average-performing employees, which can be a significant difference for any company-small, medium, or large. As a manger, aligning your efforts to improve your employees’ engagement with the needs of your employees is crucial in order to be successful. Reevaluate your current approach at handling these issues and make sure that you are addressing them as well.