In order to optimise performance, there has to be a combined effort by both organisation and employee. On the one hand your organisation should create the conditions for employees to work pleasantly and well. On the other, it is up to the employee to produce good work and in so doing contribute to your organisation’s success.
Recognise the gems in your organisation
In short, not only the organisation but also the employees themselves are responsible for their own well-being. Intrinsic motivation plays an important role in this. Motivation is a recurring theme in the employee surveys we conduct. It is of particular importance in creating employee engagement. As mentioned earlier, engagement takes affective commitment to the next level by involving employees’ intrinsic motivation. For this reason, it is important to recognise intrinsically motivated people.
3 Key Types of Organisational Commitment
Employees who are intrinsically motivated want:
- To understand the bigger picture
An important condition for engagement is understanding the organisation’s bigger picture and how one’s own job contributes to the whole. Disengagement can be caused by the fact that employees have no idea what they are actually doing and how their job relates to the bigger picture. Employees have to want to make the effort to understand the bigger picture.
- To work on improvements
Engaged employees are employees who, if they see opportunities for improvement, also bring these up. This group of employees spontaneously suggests ideas, for example, or areas of improvement. There is often an ideas box in the organisation, but employees rarely use it. The organisation provides the opportunity to suggest ideas, but it has to come from the employee himself to actively think along with the organisation.
- To help and respect colleagues
Engaged employees respect their colleagues and are willing to help them. If a colleague approaches them with a question, they will make a certain amount of time available to answer the question.
- To go the extra mile
The most important characteristic of engaged employees is that they actively go the extra mile in order to contribute to the success of your organisation.
- To stay up to date with developments in their industry
Engaged employees always want to stay abreast of the latest developments in their industry.
Respecting and valuing your employees
Employees want to be taken seriously and to feel as if they are important to your organisation. By involving your employees in decisions, for example, you give them the feeling that you respect and value them, both as people and for the work they carry out. Showing respect and appreciation is a fundamental building block for the other solutions. It is an important factor influencing HR variables. If your employees feel as if they are not getting the respect and appreciation they deserve, they will be tempted to dig in their heels and not perform as desired. It is thus crucial to respect and value your employees.