Be a Giving Organization and Improve Employee Engagement:

It’s the end of the year.

Reports, statistics, and the budget for next year have been submitted. About this time, most feel a buzz of tiredness mixed with anticipation for a new year, with new goals and challenges. With every new year, it seems that organizations constantly struggle with the same question: What do our employees want?

Guess what? We know what they want.

We recommend you spoil your employees with everything on their wish list to keep engagement and production up in 2020.

1. Accountability. Expect your employees to perform. Give them both the tools and the autonomy they need to get the task done. Then magic happens. There are always non-performers in an organization. Everybody knows who they are. If you are incapable of sitting them down and getting them on an action plan to become accountable, you need to weed them out. Everybody will be better off because of it.

2. Communication. A common complaint is that many employees feel lost with their managers, unsure about where they, or their work, stands. This is considered a feedback famine. By not only giving but soliciting feedback, modeling assertive communication, creating a safe place where ideas are considered, shared, debated about and more, you’re creating a vibrant culture of communication.
a. Ask how to make team meetings more effective, what you can do to help employees succeed.
b. Listen to what your employees are concerned about, what motivates them.
c. Take action. Talking is fine. Except for the occasional shoulder rant, it should lead to something actionable. Teach your employees about how to convert words into action. Enough grumbling.

3. Transparency. To continue to earn the trust of your employees, transparency is key. The “need-to-know” attitude needs to be kicked to the curb. Employees need to know how the organization is performing, how their teams are performing. They need to feel like they’re getting the whole picture. Company goals must be clear. The vision, mission, and company values must be ingrained in every action. Organization leaders must lay-out the work-profit connection, so employees understand how fundamental their roles are in the big picture.

4. Boundaries. Don’t be tempted by the ping of the smart phone. Set clear boundaries with employees so they learn to manage their work-life balance. They will perform better, and so will your organization.

5. Recognition. This goes back to communication, but we want to give it its own special place on the list. When employees feel their work is valued, they perform better. When employees understand their work makes a difference, they perform better. Recognize their efforts, their successes. Stand by them, and let them shine. It might feel like a tall order. But really giving what matters, not only during the holidays but throughout the year, makes for a successful organization. This creates community and leads to success.

We wish you a Happy New Year. We’ll be back in 2020 with more ideas, more products, and more tools to help your organization succeed.