1. Provide a meaningful purpose
We all need a purpose – a reason for being. If employees believe in a purpose (i.e. why their organisation exists) they are more inclined to do what it takes to achieve it. Keep employees in the dark and they will flounder, but share and communicate the vision and mission of the company and where they fit into achieving it and – hey presto! Engagement, ownership, a sense of belonging.
2. Train your managers
Not everyone is an effective manager – and some will never be good, even with training. Fact. It’s your responsibility to identify who should be managing – then equip them with the knowledge they need. From onboarding, carrying out performance reviews, regular checkpoints to ongoing coaching and development. These are difficult conversations that require training, empathy and practice. Done well, they are the bedrock of improved employee engagement.
3. Commit to transparency and open communication
Create a culture of transparency where creativity and innovation can flourish. There should be an environment of radical candour, where no question goes unanswered, no suggestion is ignored and there’s no fear or consequence.
Sharing bad news and good goes hand in hand with achieving a purpose which everyone in an organisation wants to fight for. Don’t sugar coat it – instead, make people feel involved and invested in your mutual success.
4. Peer to peer recognition and collaboration helps drive positivity
Small things make a big difference. Encouraging peer to peer recognition can dramatically affect positivity – the start of improved employee engagement. Start a staff appreciation board where employees are free to thank anyone who has helped them each week, give shout outs at the weekly All Hands or give more formal awards of recognition on a regular basis.
5. Career development is important to everyone
Lack of advancement is the main reason why people decide to leave a company (up to 40% according to a recent survey by Express Employment Professionals).Good management is the key to helping define a career roadmap for employees and coaching them through it. Part of this will be giving space and time to learn new skills needed to step up to the next challenge.
Here at Chelsea-Apps, we are very much aware of the need to keep our people feeling engaged. We strive to live by our values. Our values are not developed by the leadership team but arrived at through a highly collaborative and inclusive process that involved the views of the whole business. We practice radical candour. We encourage and invest in our people’s development. We have a shared purpose. We’re getting there. Are you?