Strategies to improve staff engagement
Q: I want to improve my team’s engagement. I’ve tried introducing social activities and improving communication through full team meetings, but it doesn’t seem to be working. What can I do to have my team more motivated, enthused and involved in the business? A: Firstly, congratulations on recognising the importance of staff engagement in your business.
Engaged individuals and teams are happier, more productive and stay longer in your organisation. Achieving engagement can be difficult, but it is worth the patience and effort required.
To help increase engagement it is important to understand that every team and individual are different, so what works in one business, or for one person, might not work for another.
This can depend on a range of factors, including the demographic and make-up of your team.
The most effective way to ensure you are focusing your efforts in the right area is to ask your team what they think, through a staff engagement survey.
This demonstrates that you care about what they think and feel, helps you to identify the critical areas to work on and also guides you to make any appropriate changes needed.
Factors within an organisation which impact most on engagement are communication, culture and values, leadership, development opportunities and having a sense that their work is meaningful to the organisation.
Company meetings are a great start to improving communication. Ensure these are relevant and interesting for all the team, and complement them with regular team meetings and newsletters.
Ensure your managers understand communication and introduce channels for upwards communication too.
Staff suggestion schemes are good for improving the business and creating a better environment for the team.
Each person’s direct manager plays an important role in effective engagement, as they are in constant contact with their team members and have a strong influence on their day-to-day work.
Leaders who are respected and provide regular, positive and constructive feedback and coaching usually have more motivated teams.
Ensuring all your managers have these skills, as well as introducing performance management systems to encourage this dialogue can have a positive impact on engagement.
Training and development are also important motivating factors. This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to pay for expensive courses. Usually in each business there are subject experts who can provide coaching, or managers with skills and knowledge they can share.
Engagement can be a complex subject, with a range of positive interventions to consider. The goal is to pick the right engagement options for your team and then implement an engagement plan that will make a difference.