Employees are undeniably the lifeblood of your business. Any way you look at it, there’s nothing like an engaged employee to fuel your business’s success and help it thrive.
However, despite reaching a record high of 23% in 2023, companies still often take employee engagement lightly, as most employees worldwide are quite quitting. That said, it’s clear that organizations need to prioritize employee engagement… but how exactly can they do this?
Let’s delve into today’s article and find out!
Importance of employee engagement in business success
A sense of purpose drives us humans, and that’s what we look for in a job. Think about it – are you more likely to get the job done on a good day or a bad one? The answer is obvious and perfectly describes why employee engagement is important for business success.
Anyway, let’s delve a bit deeper into this topic.
- Improved productivity. Engaged employees possess a greater drive toward work – exactly why companies with higher engagement report 22% higher productivity. They don’t see their tasks as a nuisance but rather as an opportunity to grow professionally.
- Job satisfaction. They also tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, showcasing higher levels of motivation and enthusiasm from the moment they walk through the door.
- Positive workplace culture. And finally, engaged employees contribute to the bigger picture by fostering a positive work environment. They prefer teamwork over workplace gossip, thus promoting a culture where trust and mutual respect thrive.
- Problem-solving skills. Due to a lack of employee engagement, employees can easily lose their creativity and not make use of their full potential. However, when engaged, employees tend to share their ideas, which leads to continuous business improvement.
Yes, you’re the one who built a business from zero, but it’s employees who can make it or break it. They’re the driving force behind innovation, customer satisfaction, and overall growth. So, choose your employees wisely, and once you find them, make sure to cherish and retain them.
5 Employee Engagement Strategies for Business Growth
Before we go over the key employee engagement strategies for business growth, we must ensure that we all understand the term ‘’employee engagement’’. It’s more than just showing up to work regularly and doing tasks timely. It’s about doing all of this but with passion and enthusiasm rather than just seeing it as a means to earn a salary.
Now, let’s discuss five key strategies that can help you engage your employees.
i. Providing Regular Feedback
Feedback is important because it shows your employees you value them. Whether positive or negative, continuous feedback demonstrates that you’re invested in both their personal and professional growth. And coming from their leader, this means a lot.
Positive feedback means you’re acknowledging their achievements and are grateful for their commitment. Negative feedback, on the other hand, is giving them pointers for future development and improvement. Some interview feedback examples even show us that employees and leaders can establish a positive relationship from the get-go.
Have you ever spent hours or days on a project only to receive little to no feedback? Then, you understand how frustrating this lack of feedback can be for hardworking individuals. We’re social beings, and our growth thrives on the support and feedback of others, especially in workplaces.
ii. Promoting Work-life Balance
Now, let’s touch upon a topic that’s often greatly overlooked, and that’s promoting work-life balance. It’s sad to think there are still businesses that don’t understand their employees have personal lives and expect them to prioritize work above all else.
Here’s a piece of advice – don’t be that business and focus on providing:
- Flexible work schedules. Any way you look at it, there’s no reason to chain your employees to rigid schedules. Instead, try to be more flexible and allow them to manage their time effectively while also attending to personal commitments. Flexibility leads to greater productivity and motivation, after all. In this regard, implementing a staff scheduling tool not only enhances flexibility but also streamlines workforce management, fostering a culture of autonomy and responsibility among employees. From healthcare to retail and hospitality, industries of all kinds can leverage staff scheduling tools to optimize operations and prioritize employee satisfaction.
- Remote work options. It’s been quite a while since we entered the era of remote work, and we’ve been able to witness its positive impact. It not only allows you to save money and find better candidates but also boosts employee engagement.
- Vacation time. Even the most successful employees need to take a breather sometimes. So, why wait for them to approach you when they find the courage when you can be the one to encourage them to take those days off?
If you’re wondering how promoting work-life balance can drive business growth, the answer is simple – it leads to happier employees who are more engaged in their work. You’re giving them enough room to juggle between their job and personal lives so their focus is in the right place.
iii. Leveraging strong leadership
There’s nothing like a strong leader to engage employees. As a leader, you want to lead by example – demonstrate the attitude that you want to see in your employees. Show them integrity. Show them how dedicated you are, and you’ll be sure to inspire them.
But a strong leader does more than just lead their employees. They have the power to develop future strong leaders within the organization and inspire them to be the best version of themselves. Strong leaders create strong leaders – it doesn’t get simpler than this.
So, what makes a strong leader? To nurture such a culture of strong leadership, you must focus on effective and transparent communication, providing regular feedback to your employees, investing in them, and rewarding them when needed. It’s more than just giving orders. It’s about knowing how to engage your employees.
iv. Implementing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Now, this might seem like a bit of an indirect approach to employee engagement, but it can significantly impact it. How so? Well, employee engagement starts with the hiring process, and in the same way, ATS resume templates can help candidates prepare attractive resumes, the ATS system it can help your business and your HR team optimize the hiring process.
First, it will save time and resources for your HR team and allow them to focus more on engaging with both candidates and employees and provide a positive experience. Candidates who have a positive experience are more likely to perform well if later employed. Simply put, an ATS system helps you boost employee engagement right off the bat.
v. Encouraging Professional Development
The best way to retain employees and foster growth within your organization is to invest in them professionally. By supporting and investing in their growth, you’re giving them wings to fly – providing them with opportunities to expand their skills and knowledge.
Here are some ways in which you can encourage professional development:
- Investing in training. These training programs will help your employees excel in their roles and improve their overall performance. However, investing in training programs also enables you to recognize potential leaders and nurture them for future leadership positions. This is how you ensure you have the best leaders to step into key roles.
- Supporting further education. Some business owners think that it’s the end of the world when employees have other interests outside of the workplace. On the contrary, encouraging your employees to educate themselves further is showing them you care for their personal growth as well, which can lead to greater loyalty down the road.
- Offering mentorship programs. If you happen to recognize leadership skills in an employee, why not help them expand these further? You can pair them with experienced mentors to provide them with the necessary guidance and support so that when the time comes, they’ll be prepared to lead other employees to success.
Let’s get one thing right – investing in your employees is investing in your business, so you can rest assured that it’s worthwhile. Rather than seeing them quit quitting by the day, you can encourage their professional development and give them the sense of purpose they need.
Happy Employees, Thriving Business
If you wonder why employee engagement is a big deal, the following answers your questions – happy employees lead to thriving business. They’re more productive and creative. They take pride in their work and are eager to contribute to the overall success of your business.
Employee engagement has already proven to be connected with business growth; that is, it’s one of the most significant drivers to boosting your business success. So, be the leader your employees need, and you’ll be sure to see positive results faster than you think.
