Here are 20 tips:
#1 – Communicate clear goals and expectations to your employees
The majority of employees want to be a part of a compelling future, want
to know what is most important at work and what excellence looks like.
For
targets to be meaningful and effective in motivating employees, they must be tied to
larger organizational ambitions.
#2 – Share information and numbers
Let them in on what is going on within the company as well as how their
jobs contribute to the big picture. When you keep you employees informed
they tend to feel a greater sense of worth. Keep communication hopeful
and truthful – do not be afraid to share
bad news, instead be more strategic about how you deliver it.
Improve performance through transparency – By sharing numbers with employees, you can increase employees’ sense of ownership.
#3 – Encourage open communication
You can get insight into what things are important to the employee by
using surveys, suggestion boxes and team meetings. Be open-minded and
encourage them to express their ideas and perspectives without
criticism. This means putting into practice everything you have learned
about effective listening. Address their concerns in the best way you
can.
#4 – Not communicating or communicating late can damage engagement
Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and
friends can have a negative impact on employee engagement. Ensure
employees hear these messages from the business as soon as possible.
#5 – Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation, values and ethics
Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation,
values
and ethics – Employees want to feel good about their leaders, where
they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their company.
#6 – Culture
Encourage employees to find a personal fit with the company
culture.
#7 – Let staff tell their own stories
Encourage them to tell their own
stories about what they are doing to support company strategies or embody organizational values.
#8 – Trust
Employees need to trust each other as well as their leadership.
Employees are constantly watching leadership to see how their decisions
affect the strategic direction of the organization and if their
behaviors reflect what they say.
#9 – Build engagement
Show that you’re genuinely concerned about employees’ opinions and use
social media as a communications tool to build engagement.
#10 – Encourage innovation
Engaged employees are innovative. They’re always looking for a better way.
#11 – Create a strong team environment
Strong employee engagement is dependent on how well employees get along,
interact with each other and participate in a team environment.
#12 – Sense of belonging
Non-work activities that foster relationships increase employee engagement.
#13 – Provide constant feedback on the positives
When people know what they’re doing well, they’ll keep doing it – or,
even better, do more of it. Providing someone with a little recognition
on what they’re doing well can go a long way toward boosting morale.
This is not to say “ignore the weaknesses” – just don’t make the
weaknesses the only focus area of feedback. This doesn’t mean you should
not
create accountability, it actually means the opposite – but, if all you do is criticize, people will learn how to hide their mistakes or shift blame.
#14 – Give immediate feedback
Feedback is two way communication. It is the opportunity to share
opinions and find solutions. Too many managers think should be the
province of the annual personnel revue. It’s not. It should be a daily
occurrence.
#15 – Show how feedback is being used
Demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
#16 – Support employees in their work and growth
How many of you have responded to a subordinate’s idea as brilliant or
even good. Success begets success. You can support employee growth by
providing education and learning opportunities, cross training,
coaching, and any other interactions that support employees’ personal
development.
#17 – Collaborate and share on problem-solving
When employees get the idea that their manager or leader is the one who
has to solve all the problems, it takes away from their sense of
empowerment, and ultimately is likely to decrease engagement over time.
Encourage team members to take responsibility, and work through problems
or issues on their own, or collaboratively. It’s not the manager’s job
to fix everyone else’s problems.
#18 – Delegation
Delegation is good for you because it expands your managerial span of
control. It’s good for your employees because it is a growth opportunity
for them. It demonstrates your trust in them to do the job correctly
and increases their ownership of the task.
#19 – Incentives
Incentives that are matched to accountability and results. Managers who
want their employees to be engaged recognize that incentives must be
allocated based on objective criteria and that different employees are
motivated by different things.
#20 – Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements
Employees need to feel validated and that they are a valued part of the
organization. Leadership needs to show how much they care for their
employees and show recognition for efforts: “
If you want something to grow, pour champagne on it“.