Employee Engagement: Bridging the Motivational Rift

What’s more important than that morning pep talk to rally the forces? Respect. According to CNN Money, 72 percent of employees are more impressed by respectful treatment than they are by anything else. So if you’ve been wasting your company’s time and money on frivolous endeavors such as an unending supply of donuts in the break room or forced party games at the start of every training meeting, just stop. Focus on employee engagement and what’s really important to your employees, and watch morale go through the roof.

What Employees and Job Seekers Really Want

Aside from that most important feeling of respect, what else do employees say they want when it comes time to clock in?

• Trust from senior management
• Benefits
• Good pay
• Work-Life Balance
• Fair treatment
• A bright future

Entrepreneur.com ranks opportunity for advancement high on the list of things employees look for when considering new positions. And if your company can provide this particular perk and focuses on employee engagement, along with the other goodies that workers find most important, you have a good shot at finding and retaining the best of the best.

Keeping Up Morale and Employee Engagement

But even the best companies can suffer dips in morale from time to time. And when your employees are suffering from a blah disposition and even bleaker work performance, how can you get them motivated once again?

According to Forbes, there are several employee engagement methods of reconnecting with workers who’ve lost their will to meet goals.

• Take interest: Talk with employees about where they’re heading, where they’ve been, and their job compatibility. Express interest in their career paths and offer feedback on how best to get them there.
• Show flexibility: So somebody needs an unscheduled day off? Consider it. Obviously, you won’t be able to accommodate every time-off request throughout the year, but if someone has an important occasion such as a wedding or a graduation to attend, bend the rules. Remember, employees have lives outside of work too.
• Listen: If you take time to really listen to genuine gripes and concerns, and then do your best to fix them, it will go a long way toward raising company morale. Everyone wants to feel that what they say matters. Everyone wants to feel validated.

The next time you’re tempted to boost production and employee engagement by requiring employees to attend a company picnic, don’t. Take a step back instead, and consider what’s most important — treating your employees the way you’d like to be treated yourself.

Sources:
http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/28/pf/employee-job-satisfaction/
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253781
http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2013/03/18/5-easy-ways-to-motivate-and-demotivate-employees/

Disclaimer Statement: All information presented is for information purposes only and is not intended to provide professional or legal advice regarding actions to take in any situation.