Your business may have the best products, cutting edge technology and an unparalleled marketing plan, but without empowered employees, how will you maximize your competitive advantage? At the end of the day, every business relies on their employees to drive the customer experience. When an employee feels empowered in the workplace, they can make a direct impact on your sales, customer service, and your bottom line.
According to a recent survey, an employee’s belief that they can positively impact company performance is directly related to their level of engagement. Over 66% of employees who feel “fully engaged” report that they can drive company quality, company cost and customer service. Compare this to “disengaged” employees, only 31% feel they can drive these key factors.
So what can we do to drive employee engagement? Employee engagement starts at the top of every organization, it is part of the company culture and is adopted at all levels. It doesn’t cost more to engage employees, it just involves new behaviors that recognize and reinforce the impact that our teams make everyday.
Here are five tips to drive employee engagement in your workplace:
1. Engage your top performers my making them members of cross functional teams that drive strategic initiatives that impact all areas of your business.
2. Collect regular feedback from your team on how to strengthen your organization and then act on these suggestions in a timely manner.
3. Implement a reward system for creativity and ingenuity in the workplace. Provide rewards and recognition when employees develop new ways to drive your business.
4. Hold intimate gatherings with your employees, giving cross functional teams the opportunity to get to know each other, share ideas and increase teamwork across all departments.
5. Connect your employees with your organization’s vision, mission, and objectives. Ensure they know how their roles tie into and impact your company’s performance.
These five simple tips are small steps you can take to drive employee engagement, driving your business forward.