Engaging employees

Myrjam Gerritsen

The more motivated employees are, the better they can fulfil and harness their potential and contribute to the success of the company. Motivating employees is therefore one of the absolute basics for any successful company. Nevertheless, employee engagement belongs to the supreme discipline of management.

Engaging employees

Depending on the situation, it can be difficult to activate individual employees, especially when they are new to the company and are yet to be optimally integrated into the team. In alternative scenarios their management might have implemented changes that have weakened your employees’ commitment to their colleagues. But there are ways to engage these employees and integrate them into the company family.

1. Motivate employees through team building

We’re not referring to a group activity in which everyone gets to know each other better through games, challenges and role-playing. So-called teambuilding events can be useful – especially when it comes to the atmosphere in the team – but they rarely ever improve the actual (team)work.

Instead, the aim is to structure teams and optimize their workflows. Give your teams tools that help them set clear goals and distribute tasks clearly. If each individual team member knows exactly what his/her responsibilities are, the employee can gain confidence.

This makes teams more efficient and collaboration less complicated – together, teams grow better and they will function as a whole. This takes the pressure off individuals and helps motivate employees.

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2. Motivating employees through dialogue

You can, of course, read dozens of guides on why employees may not be optimally engaged. You can write long lists of possible reasons as to why your employees may not be as motivated as you would like them to be.

You can also ask a fortune-teller. Or you can simply ask the most reliable source on this matter: your employees themselves. Asking where the shoe pinches is the first and most important step towards a fruitful dialogue from which both sides can benefit.

Don’t just use the annual employee interview or a hastily cobbled together basic questionnaire. Better approach the whole thing systematically. Establish a framework for continuous employee feedback.

This way, you create three things. Firstly, the result analysis will tell you where there is optimization potential in your organization regarding matters that affect the motivation of your employees. Secondly, you create an opportunity to recognize which needs of your employees are not optimally met at an early stage, and to react to them before employee motivation suffers.

Thirdly, you signal to your employees that you value their opinions and want them to actively participate in the further development of the organization. This lays a good foundation for increased motivation!

3. Motivate employees through participation

Suppose you have already implemented an employee feedback process to motivate your employees. Then what do you do with the results? In any case, you should take the time to make a detailed analysis and take a close look at the causes of possible criticism from your employees.

Involving your employees in these processes is the key to your success. Your employees’ motivation can increase by being part of change processes and by contributing their own ideas on how things can be optimized within the company. Use the potential of your employees and at the same time give them the feeling of being heard.

Using these three tips you make important first steps towards higher employee engagement. By the way, we have a fourth tip at this point: keep your head in the game. Only those who always stay in touch with their employees and their needs will be able to motivate them permanently.

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Employee Engagement

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