Employees are considered the biggest assets of a company. Sadly, only a small percentage of employees are truly engaged in their work. According to the report “2013 Trends in Global Employee Engagement” by Aon Hewitt, only 60% of employees are “engaged” in their work worldwide. The rest are either non-engaged or disengaged. Since the growth of a company depends on employee engagement (to a large extent), it is important for a company to have an effective employee engagement strategy.
Engaged vs Non-Engaged vs Disengaged
Before going into engagement strategy, it is important to understand what engaged, not-engaged and disengaged mean. Engaged employees are those who work with passion, are willing to go the extra mile, and feel a deep connection to their company. Non-engaged employees are those who put in just enough to fulfill their job requirement, but are uninspired and lack motivation. They are not necessarily against the company and unproductive, but they do not feel a connection either. Disengaged employees are those who are unhappy at work and are out to harm the company or undermine its efforts.
Because good employees are hard to come by, a growth-oriented company should take appropriate measures to:
- Keep the engaged employees happy so that they will continue being model employees,
- Inspire and motivate the non-engaged employees to become engaged, and
- Weed out the disengaged employees.
The focus of the employment engagement strategy should be on the non-engaged employees who are not against the company and its management, but need just a little push in the right direction.
What Drives Engagement?
Studies have found that pay is one of the top drivers of employee engagement. However, this is true only up to a certain level. After that level has been reached, it ceases to become the main motivating factor. So what do employees really want to become engaged? They want to be recognized and given credit for their unique abilities, talents and job performance. They want to be respected and valued for not just what they do but also who they are.
In order to motivate employees to become engaged, managers should try to know each employee individually and interact with them regularly. It’s not necessary to become “close” to each employee, but knowing who they are, their roles, acknowledging their efforts, and praising them for their achievements can often work wonders.
Employee Engagement Goals
The focus of a successful employee engagement strategy should be to win the employees’ hearts and minds. Towards that goal, managers should display empathy to the employees, and let them know that the company is there for them. Secondly, they should strive to instill a sense of belonging in the employees and make them feel that their wellbeing and growth is being supported by the company. Finally, they should be given enough autonomy to make their own decisions regarding their work as far as their decisions are not in conflict with the company’s interests.
Your employee engagement strategy should address these goals, either through structured programs and processes or management training on how to instill these values within the office culture.
An employee engagement strategy is made even more effective if you start out with the right talent. At The Headhunters, we can help you find the right fit for your organization – based on culture, skills, and personality.
