Three Ways Managers Can Improve Employee Engagement

Mark Angelo, CEO, Yorkville Advisors 

Employee engagement is one of the biggest issues that today's manager must face. According to the Gallup report issued in 2017, engagement is still one of the biggest problems for many companies, with around 67.5 of staff feeling actively disengaged at work. As the head of a team, it's up to managers to not only direct their people towards the right goals but also give them the inspiration and motivation they need to succeed. 

By focusing on improving engagement from day one, rather than constantly checking on employee outcomes, managers can improve the processes in their workplace and enhance better day-to-day productivity. Here are just three ways that managers may be able to improve employee engagement throughout the enterprise.

1.     Constantly Measure Performance 

The easiest way to help employees learn from their mistakes and optimize what they're doing in the workforce is to give them plenty of feedback. The annual review is no longer enough to give your staff the guidance they need in their performance. Instead, today's experts need regular and consistent conversations with their managers to help them stay ahead of the curve. 

By tracking performance metrics, managers can determine how employees are stacking up against expectations, and also provide those individuals with regular guidance on how they can enhance their outcomes. It may even be a good idea for managers to set up regular schedules where they can check in with employees and make sure that each staff member is reaching their personal goals.

2.     Show Instead of Telling 

When managers really want to have an impact on their workforce, they need to use all of the resources they have available. When an employee sees a spreadsheet referencing their performance, they might not fully understand what the key takeaways from that information are. However, with visual graphs and representations, it's much easier to show an employee how they're progressing over time. 

For years, educators have been using visuals in lessons to help students understand different content formats better and ensure that they're ready to engage more. Studies have shown that using visual aids in teaching and training methods stimulates thinking. Since managers are responsible for teaching their staff to perform better, visuals could be very useful.

3.     Revisit Expectations 

Finally, it's important to remember that business changes rapidly in today's agile world. The expectations that a manager laid out for their employees when they first started working with that team might be different today. As a company continues to evolve and change, it's important for managers to revisit the expectations and requirements that they've set for their staff to make sure that everyone is moving on the same track. 

By discussing long-term goals with supervisors, employees can begin to visualize success for the business, and this can lead to greater engagement. When everyone in a team feels as though they're working towards the same goals, with clear expectations laid out for them, there's less risk of things going wrong, or people getting confused along the way. Revisiting expectations is a great way to stop engagement from going stale.