Here are five simple tips to help businesses to understand and build strategy around engagement of their workforce.
 
1-Establish a mechanism that will enable you to take the temperature of the employee workforce on a regular basis.

2-Determine where there are gaps between where you want engagement scores to be high against where they are currently. What types of investments will allow you to close the gaps? This should also consider what goals are important to the organization and how people performance will help the business successfully realize achievement of these objectives. For example if you feel there is a need to develop managerial skills that encourage and motivate high performance from their team then consider training for the managers involved.

3-Then establish benchmarks on how well you score against key employee engagement drivers. Some can be trust, communication levels, support, value and recognition, inspiration, relationships with managers and colleagues, etc. Try to understand how improvements in these benchmarks will contribute to the bottom line. Also identify how these benchmarks will be measured and how frequently they will be assessed.

4-Seek employee involvement and ideas. Their active involvement and participation will ultimately have a significant impact in their engagement with the company and leadership team and as such needs to be encouraged. Conduct town hall meetings and polls to collect ideas and then make sure that the ideas are responded to. They are part of the company as well and need to have a voice and method to contribute ideas and suggestions.  

5-Review communication platforms, vehicles and channels to see how they can be used to support and build desired culture. How can you communicate social aspects of the organization as well as its goals and results? How can business successes, team and individual achievements and performance hi-lites be communicated to employees? Recognize ideas and other contributions. Help employees see how their roles and responsibilities support the team and strategic direction the company is taking.  

These are five simple steps that can help you move towards a more engaged workforce. Good luck!

Doug Brown
Engaged2Perform
519-656-1066