Your Employees Can Help Move the Needle

Here are 10 steps to engage your employees and increase your bottom line

  Statistics show that companies with engaged employees enjoy a 27% higher operating margin than their competitors. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work, and feels a form of ownership for it, rather than treating work as a necessity and a mere ‘job’. Engaged employees care and strive to do their job well. Consider the following interactions you can use to engage your employees: 1. See them: Take the time to define what each employee you manage brings to the table and encourage them to bring more of their good skills. 2.  Trust them: – Trust that they are capable of handling the tasks assigned to them without micro managing every step. 3. Encourage them: – Be honest in your evaluations of their work (both positive and critical) and show them that your honesty is meant as an encouragement to either do better next time or to keep doing good work. Simultaneously, encourage honest feedback from your employees, and make it clear that you are willing to listen. This will create an environment where there will be no “walking on egg shells”. Here are some key best practices:

• Support them: –

Advocate for them. Have their back on decisions they make (and are authorized to make). Help them learn from their mistakes and do not disparage them when they make mistakes – that will squelch their confidence to try new things that will benefit the company.

• Connect them: –

Show them how their work matters to the bigger picture of the company. This will help them find meaning in what they do, and allow them to take ownership in the success of the entire business.

• Include them: –

Help them be a part of the team by inviting them to any discussions that involve them – directly and indirectly.

• Challenge them: –

Give them “stretch assignments” that will help them to grow and give them honest feedback. Encourage them to keep working at getting better and better at what they do.

• Hear them: –

Ask for and listen to their feedback. Listen to their ideas and help them refine and implement them. Have open “check-in’s” on a regular basis.

• Laugh with them: –

Have fun and be silly together.

• Recognize them: –

Celebrate them and the team and say THANK YOU!!!! A quick cupcake ‘party’ or even office lunch for a job or project well done can go a long way. Ask yourself how you would want to be treated if you were an employee and try to match that with your actions towards your own workforce. Engaging your employees can make an enormous difference in your businesses bottom line – happy employees work harder and smarter! Related articles: Employees Are Your Most Valuable Assets 5 Tips For Creating Motivated Employees Enable Connected Employees to Find Your Next Employee