Over the past year, we’ve seen an increased focus on employee wellbeing. But for organizations to recover and start thriving again, their priority should be on how to improve employee engagement. It is only then that they can improve their performance outcomes following the crisis.
Our experiences in 18 months have varied across countries despite living through a global pandemic. About 45% of people say the coronavirus outbreak has affected their own life. Now more than ever, leaders must focus on improving employee engagement and wellbeing to build organizational resilience.
The Global Workplace Report indicates that employee engagement has decreased. The decrease in employee engagement affects business, workplace culture, employee burnout, retention, and performance. Employee engagement strategies is one of the top five global business strategies. It is a crucial business strategy for employee productivity and loyalty for its reputation, customer satisfaction, and the value of stakeholder relationships.
Here are some behaviors of an actively disengaged employee:
What Drives Employee Engagement?
Several factors influence in driving employee engagement levels. Trade Press Services article reported 85% of employees feel motivated by management when they receive regular updates about company news. It provides a sense of belonging and involvement. The precise definition of the employee’s role, combined with an awareness of the company goals, leads to the motivation of employees. For the company’s plans to be achieved, employees need to buy into them and consider them their own. More than half of employees say they are held back by a lack of company transparency.
The benefits of having an internal communication strategy:
- Boost employee skill sets.
- Facilitate the exchange of information.
- Provide employees with the support they need to be effective brand ambassadors.
- Collaborate among departments toward common goals.
How to improve employee engagement
Recognition is a performance driver
An organization’s efficiency, profitability, and competitive advantage can be traced to employee engagement and a solid link to the organization’s vision and strategy. Former Fortune readers have studied the top motivators for high employee performance. Three in four respondents said that more recognition would entice them to do better work more often. Recognition addresses the emotional needs of individuals. The behavior is reinforced, which can change the company culture for the better. Recognizing high performers in your organization will motivate other employees to perform better. An article on Gen Z and Millennials by SHRM reported 79% of 632 survey participants said that increasing recognition rewards would make them more loyal to their employer.
Learning Opportunities
Other key drivers of engagement include learning and development. If you invest in your talent by equipping them with new skills and competencies, they are more likely to give you their loyalty and energy. Talented individuals want to grow their skills to meet the demands of the future make them more marketable and valuable. By providing learning opportunities to your leaders and employees, you prove your commitment to their growth within your organization. And you show them that you value their contributions. Whether this is formal eLearning, leadership training, or challenging projects and problems they need to solve, this will help improve employee engagement.
A recent article by Lorman included statistics proving the importance of training. For example, 76% of millennials believe professional development is one of the most critical aspects of company culture since a strong culture should reduce employee turnover, and that 50% of the managers with over ten years of experience say they have only received a maximum of 10 hours of training.
People are looking for recognition and appreciation. For your organization to achieve high levels of employee engagement, you need focus on how to change company culture to rewarding great work and offering career development opportunities. To learn more employee engagement ideas and unlock the full potential of your employees, turn to Lingo Live for leadership development solutions.
