Employee engagement
Employee engagement is the focus that employees undertake at work, going beyond what is expected of them, since they feel like they are part of the organizational purpose and, thus, contribute to the company’s growth.
To reach this level, you, as a manager, need to create conditions for all employees to do their best every day, committing to the organization’s objectives and values.
Therefore, to have an engaged team, the organizational culture needs to be strong. In other semantic unit of a text. In other words, everyone needs to clearly understand the company’s mission, vision and values and how they are linked to their own life purpose.
How important is employee engagement for companies?
The excitement and pure motivation is not what makes the difference in the success or not of a business.
When we talk about engagement we are talking about commitment and motivation around a purpose, and building this feeling is what keeps a company competitive and strong.
Investing and taking measures to engage employees is extremely important for the company to overcome its obstacles and achieve its goals.
This happens because this feeling is responsible for bringing this commitment and accountability to the roles of each person in the company.
More than that, this movement makes the professionals feel welcomed and also as protagonists of the company .
In other words, a sense of appreciation is built up and that their role is important to that organization, which helps employees with various issues in their day-to-day work.
In summary, the search for and investment in employee engagement is important for the company’s productivity , as well as for the employees themselves and for the well-being in the workplace.
Engagement is part of the positive organizational climate and energy for work.
Thus, given this scenario, the permanence of people in the company occurs naturally. In other words, engagement and retention are intertwined and contribute to an organization’s success .
How to promote employee engagement?
Engaging people is a challenge. After all, the profiles differ and the desires too.
However, HR can count on strategies to motivate and awaken commitment among employees .
Check out tips to promote engagement in the company.
1-Strong and clear organizational culture
Companies with a well-defined mission, vision and values are well regarded by professionals and competitors.
These pillars represent the business objectives and symbolize the organizational culture.
However, the culture needs to happen in practice. And values must guide everyday life, at all hierarchical levels.
In this sense, professional development is the best way to promote engagement .
It means to say that an excellent salary is worth more than having mental health at work.
Also, professionals who worked in toxic environments, faced unprepared managers and experienced abusive work relationships know that this scenario is terrible for engaging people.
In this way, HR’s mission is to make the organizational culture work on a daily basis, aligning values, mission and vision to employee expectations.
2-Recognition and appreciation
Being recognized for your work and skills is critical to engaging people .
There are companies that grant bonuses or bonuses as a means of professional development. These are positive steps, but there are other ways to do this.
The feedback culture is an example. Talking openly about employee questions related to the sector and thematic to be evaluated. You can ask about everything, such as beliefs about the job, dynamics within it, performance is a strategy that gets results.
Feedbacks are important in times of mistakes or successes, as they show that the company values and recognizes the employee’s efforts.
In this way, companies must eliminate old beliefs, for example, the unfair maxim “you did no more than your duty”. This attitude is terrible and unmotivating.
The HR department needs to indoctrinate leaders to act with empathy and recognition.
3-Flexibility, autonomy and freedom
In addition to health, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the professional world. The home office, which until recently was uncommon, has become an alternative.
Thus, companies decided to make working hours more flexible.
Today, managers have realized that giving freedom and autonomy to employees is also a way of engaging them .
In this sense, the commitment to the company increased and the measure was beneficial for both.
In contrast, organizations that adopted flexibilization found it difficult to retain their employees.
Many prefer to work in companies that allow freedom of schedule and autonomy to manage demands.
4-Clarity in the organization’s goals
Engaged employees need to be clear about their role in the company and the business objectives .
It is essential to know what should be done, why and where to go. It takes purpose.
Otherwise, not knowing where to go and how to do it, it is difficult to remain dedicated to a cause.
5-Expectation of professional growth
Engaging employees is easier when they envision professional growth.
Therefore, having a solid career plan and a job and salary plan are engagement factors.
In addition to traditional incentives, such as promotions and productivity bonuses, training and qualifications to improve skills are welcome.
From the employee’s perspective, management invests in human capital. And this attitude returns in commitment to the company.
6-Adoption of innovative tools and technology
The technology provides time optimization and makes routines productive . It also helps to connect and communicate.
In this way, it is not an HR competitor, but an ally.
The use of tools and applications for managing people and for the employee makes processes more agile and makes life easier for both the company and the employee.
This is an investment that offers engagement as a return, as:
- brings the two audiences together: company and employee;
- improves communicate effectively with others helps us to form bonds, to coexist and work as a team. Simply put, communication;
- helps measure employee perceptions;
- facilitates development monitoring;
- improves team integration;