6 pointers for more employee engagement

At People like us we are a fan of companies that make an effort to satisfy, facilitate and develop their employees. And that results in committed employees, people who do their work with passion, feel connected to the organization and help them to make progress.

But unfortunately we see every day in practice that this is not that easy. Few organizations have been given this ideal situation of true inspiration in the workplace. Despite hard work and good intentions. And that has to do with the fact that “employee engagement” depends on so many different factors. Factors that influence and reinforce each other in a complex system.

Six factors

There is therefore no quick trick for creating more involvement and responsibility in your organization. But we can help by explaining 6 crucial factors. Below they are listed.

1. People

Invest in developing talent. As roles and team are created more around peoples natural talent, not only work pleasure and collaboration improve but also business results. Good leaders, that create frameworks, give space and give and take responsibility, can really make people flourish.

2. Brand

Build an employer brand from your own unique company DNA, with the same brand experience externally and internally. With a powerful value proposition for current and future employees, it is easier to improve the employee experience step by step.

3. Strategy

What is the higher purpose of the organization? How do we get there? And does everyone know and understand that? And more importantly: does everyone believe in the goal and the approach? These are essential questions that an organization can ask itself to ensure that the strategy is successfully implemented. People who understand the bigger picture and work for a common goal that goes beyond profitability are more involved in the realization.

4. Structure

Does the structure facilitate what employees need to be able to do their work? Or is it actually the other way around? Improving and clarifying the infrastructure and work processes can do very much in offering employees more clarity and guidance. If people know what their roles and responsibilities are to achieve the joint goals, it is much more inviting to take the initiative within those frameworks and to show responsibility for achieving qualitative results together.

5. Culture

New employees can start so motivated and enthusiastically, but a negative culture is disastrous for employee engagement. The communication and compliance with the core values ​​are very important to prevent a negative spiral. Make sure everyone knows what the “way to work” is in your organization and how you interact. Let leaders show exemplary behavior, and encourage positively formulated feedback. So that people can address each other directly on their behavior. It is better not to let negativity slumber.

6. Context

A pleasant working environment also contributes to better cooperation, productivity and involvement. An open office space, for example, is not suited for everyone. A well-functioning IT infrastructure, a pleasant office and flexibility to determine your own time and presence do a lot for people’s happiness at work.

All in all, it’s no small project to improve your employee engagement. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle everything at once. An agile approach works very well when improving the working climate. We therefore advise, to start by making an inventory of the major areas for improvement,
whether or not under supervision. And then you can work step by step towards more involved and better performing employees. And that pays off!