Have you heard of the fable of the chicken and the pig?
When cooking a dish made of ham and eggs, the pig provides the ham -- which requires his sacrifice. The chicken provides the eggs, which are not difficult to produce. Thus the pig is really committed in that dish while the chicken is only involved, yet both are needed to produce the dish.
Who is more committed? (Answer: the pig.) And how do you get the level of commitment from your own workforce?
Less than 15% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. Engaged workers are the lifeblood of a profitable and successful organization.
An engaged employee is highly vested in your organization. They bring consistent high performance, passion, and a connection to the company. They help support new initiatives, cheerlead other employees to perform at top levels, and champion customer relationships. Disengaged employees can be a huge detriment to a company. They have a tendency to have low performance and customer engagement levels, and truly see a job as just a paycheck – and not a way to support an initiative or better the lives of others.
In Gallup’s Q12 Meta-Analysis, researchers studied nearly 1.9 million employees and found a connection between employee engagement and the following performance outcomes:
Now, how can you create more engaged employees and turn the collective group into a highly engaged workforce? Here are five ways:
A two-way communication loop is important in any aspect of life. This is no different in a workplace. Employees who get constructive and regular feedback from managers and business stakeholders are more likely to be a committed member of the workforce.
Employees who view their job as a means to offer a meaningful contribution to the betterment of an organization are more likely to be committed and engaged employees. You should aim to provide an atmosphere that allows them to collaborate on the process of building your business, and in turn, they will feel like they are making an impact on a greater scale.
While you may associate play with children’s activities, taking time for play removes the stigma that work is boring, mundane, and a ‘job”. Take time to introduce fun into your organization to gain a more engaged workforce.
Appreciation is a fundamental human desire. Employees respond positively to reward and praise because it validates the work they’ve put in is noticed and valued. And when your employees feel valued, their satisfaction and productivity rises. And this has a favorable effect on a business’ bottom line. Make a list of employee engagement ideas and implement some of them every week!
Ease and efficiency is important to the modern-day workforce. Technology allows businesses to scale and work smarter. In fact, employee scheduling and online logbooks offer ways to improve communication between managers, keeps a team on track & accountable, and it measures important stats/data to inform future business decisions.