There are three players when it comes to employee engagement. The employee himself provides the starting point. Secondly, the organization can support or teardown engagement levels by the structures and policies it has in place. Finally, the employee’s manager likely plays the biggest role.
The focus here will be on what managers can do to impact employee engagement.Here are seven engagement drivers from Great Lakes Profiles on how managers cantake action today and have a positive impact upon their employee’s engagementlevels at your organization:
1. Pride in the Organization — The manager must positively, honestly, andcontinually communicate your organizational strategies, values, and successes inthe delivery of your product or service to employees. She should take time to talkwith her employees about what brought them to your organization, and define theirvalues, mission, and definitions of success. When genuine success stories are shared,employees have a sense of pride in being part of your organization.
2. Job Fit — The manager makes clear how employees’ performance align withyour overall company strategy and goals while positively reinforcing success. Thisinvolves making sure all information that would benefit employees gets to them asquickly as possible. When employees know their contribution is appreciated andis important to the success of your organization and understand how their role is apart of the bigger picture, they are more engaged.
3. Nature of the Job — The manager structures the employee’s job with clearexpectations that take into account the interest of employees and makes sure thereis a “skill match.” Managers need to discover what is unique about each person,and capitalize on this uniqueness. Managers who can do this derive the employee’semotional and mental stimulation from the day-to-day content and routine of thejob, thereby raising the employee’s performance level.
4. Trust-Integrity-Credibility — The manager protects his personal credibility byfollowing through on commitments and by giving honest and complete answers toquestions and challenges. Further, if a manager makes a mistake, he owns up to itand does what is possible to make amends. Leaders must always remember thatpeople judge actions and not intentions.
5. Supportive Culture — The manager capitalizes on everyone’s strengths, letsthem know their importance to the team, and communicates in ways that showsthe team is valuable. She also ties individual success to group success, celebrates
achievements, and responds to the needs of the team. Employing these tactics makeemployees feel they have the willing assistance of team members in achieving goals,thus fostering a sense of team at your organization.
6. Emotional Connection — The manager has a rapport with her employees. Thisis all about the concept of “Emotional Intelligence,” as articulated by Daniel Golemanin his book of the same name. A manager has to understand how her emotionshelp or hinder her in her interactions with employees, and she needs to knowhow her employees perceive her. Also, a manager has to develop an awareness ofher employees’ needs and then respond with an appropriate balance of meetingpersonal needs while assuring professional accomplishment.
7. Employee Development — The manager actively assists in and identifiesa viable career path for his employees. Most organizations gravitate towardpromotion by grade or position, but there are other options as well like movingto a different department — a lateral move. Another classic business model forsuccess is to find a void and fill it. Help employees create a new job. Mentoringfellow employees is another career path option. When managers discuss the variousoptions—beyond just promotions—employees see a viable career path at yourorganization.
Employee engagement is all about discretionary effort, employees going above andbeyond even when they don’t need to. Many of our organizations employ peoplewho have career options and have more control over the means of production thanever before—they can take their knowledge and skills anywhere. Managers who usethe above engagement strategies will be doing their part to help develop employeeswho want to work for your organization rather than your competition.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Great Lakes Profiles, Inc.
Photo credit: Ambro
