Are Your Employees Engaged?

Six Steps to Improve Engagement

Below are six practical steps that managers can take to improve employee engagement:

1. Help employees to view their pay as more than base salary increases and bonuses.

Total rewards include recognition, meaningful work and career opportunities.

Outline what the company provides in Total Rewards and Total Compensation or better yet – ask employees to evaluate what you have as Total Rewards and Compensation. What are you missing that they consider valuable?

Talk with employees to hear from them what will help them to perform better to reach your business goals.

2. Understand what truly engages and motivates employees.

It is often much more than money. Be mindful that different people value different rewards.

Do this before instituting any incentive or “pay for performance” program.   Take some time to sit with employees and talk about this. For a list of ideas for this conversation, email Mary Dunlap at mary@marydunlapconsulting.com

3. Communicate the link between performance and rewards clearly.

Clearly explain the reasons for the reward and the amount of the reward.

Tie the employees’ job duties and standards to the performance expected to how this affects business results. You and the employee should look for any undesirable or unanticipated results of having an employee follow duties and standards in a certain manner.

4. Ensure that performance assessments and total rewards differentiate among employees appropriately.

You need to distinguish the best, solid performers so that you can reward appropriately and help motivate disengaged employees to what they could achieve.

5. Assess and improve the organization’s work climate.

Keep working on how to motivate employees and also help employees to stay motivated. Consider bringing in a consultant or taking a seminar as a group to learn together.

6. Use feedback as a gift.

Make it meaningful. Give it often.

Sources: Tom McMullen, Hay Group “Handling Bonus Season: Frustrated Employees, Nervous Managers” 12/4/2009

Comments from Mary Dunlap MBA, CFP®

Mary Dunlap

My team and I are dedicated professionals who through honesty, caring and desire, provide our clients the tools and processes for sensible, appropriate human resource management, for recruiting the right person for the right job, for coaching people to do better and to direct energies for increased business and personal results.