Business Bullets - People

Employee engagement is a term that tends to get thrown about a lot and is something that many organisations believe they do well – but can they be really sure that they are achieving the best engagement they can and that it is having the intended positive effect?

In reality, it's not easy to be fully engaged with all employees – especially in times like these where business is challenging and resources are stretched. In fact, it can be all too easy to let activities designed to build employee engagement slip.

But it may never be as important to ensure that you do have those practices in place, as now is the time that your employees need to know how their contribution impacts on your organisation and how it is appreciated.

Whether it is developing clear vision and leadership, building supportive management, investing in health and wellbeing, delivering effective communication or exploring recognition and reward, there is usually a number of activities that can contribute to building and maintaining employee engagement.

In simple terms, get your employee engagement right and there are a myriad of benefits that can come your way – reaching from improved staff retention and sickness to improved bottom line benefits and customer satisfaction.

But bear in mind that to keep on benefiting you must also keep evaluating your activities to make sure you have your blend of activity just right. As your environment changes so can the needs of your employees, so it is crucial to keep an eye on whether your employee engagement strategies are having the impact you are aiming for.

Let's Get Engaged! Hints & Tips

• Health & Wellbeing: A key determinant of people's wellbeing is also how well they are managed and supported – and this is where one of the strongest links to successful employee engagement lies. Ensure your leaders and managers have the skills, behaviours and resources to deliver supportive management and healthy engagement
• Managing change and transitions – employee engagement is never more important than when your organisation and people are managing change and needing to transition into new roles or mindsets. Prepare for this and bear in mind the affect change might have on individuals so you can maintain and build engagement throughout.
• Remember your people – by definition, employee engagement is all about your people and building a strong relationship. So inspire, challenge and support your employees at all levels so they can deliver what the business needs now and in the future.
• External impact – engaging with your employees can also lead to wider benefits such as your customer satisfaction. In simple terms, if your employees are not engaged with your business or do not understand their role, they are far less likely to exceed the expectations of the customers they are in touch with.