Employee engagement is crucial for any team's performance, satisfaction, and retention. However, it can be challenging to measure and improve, especially in remote or hybrid settings. How can you identify engagement issues with your team and address them effectively? Here are some tips to help you.
One way to identify engagement issues is to conduct regular surveys or polls to ask your team members how they feel about their work, their goals, their challenges, and their feedback. You can use tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Typeform to create and distribute your surveys. Alternatively, you can use a more specialized tool like Culture Amp, Peakon, or Gallup Q12 to measure engagement metrics and benchmarks. The key is to ask relevant, clear, and concise questions that capture the different dimensions of engagement, such as motivation, alignment, recognition, growth, and well-being.
Determining engagement levels of your team is important in analysing and identifying what motivational strategies to use. My team is small so on a regular I engage in one-on-one discussions, this way I understand what are the challenges, constraints and reasons for why certain activities are happening or not happening. I also observe verbal and non-verbal communication in meetings, team engagements and attitudes towards work.
Check for signs when few team members have started staying silent, they don’t attend cultural events in company, stay alone, don’t talk much, do more work from home. These are mostly signs of disengagement and probably they are on lookout to something else.
There is no limit to the ways to assess employee engagement and it’s a continuous journey. While quality of work outcome plus observed intent at work are of course simple measures, other means, such as 1x1 interactions, team building events, peer feedback, all matter. For survey tools, one needs to ensure some level of engagement (explanation of purpose) before sending them out, so as to get genuine responses.
Surveys are effective, but a bit impersonal if you are measuring a fairly small group. Surveys can also appear like the manager is just checking off his/her own task list. If you survey, take it seriously via passionate feedback and periodic follow up. Here’s another angle: give your top influencers a singular, unique task defined by the two of you. Offer your support, then see how they handle it. Check in frequently, make sure they know you value it. You’ll have oodles of ways to measure engagement at the conclusion!
I’ve always found that the best way to gauge engagement levels is to simply have a conversation with your team members. I find it’s best to do it one on one in a casual setting such as coffee or lunch. Ask open ended questions and listen. Be cognizant of body language. Depending on what you learn, be sure to follow up. I’m not a fan of surveys. Many find them intrusive, resulting in counterproductive outcomes It is often seen as a big brother formality. If you do conduct surveys, make sure the questions are well written, relevant and anonymous. Share the results with your team. Most of all be ready to act on the survey data. If you elect not to act, be sure to communicate “why” with transparency.
Another way to identify engagement issues is to observe how your team members behave in their daily work. For example, you can look at indicators such as attendance, productivity, quality, collaboration, communication, and initiative. Are your team members showing up on time, meeting deadlines, delivering results, working well with others, sharing ideas, and taking ownership? Or are they missing meetings, falling behind, making errors, isolating themselves, staying silent, and avoiding responsibilities? These behaviors can signal the level of engagement and commitment of your team members.
Listening to my team's verbal and non-verbal cues is another crucial method for identifying engagement issues. I observe the tone and energy in their communications and interactions. Are they displaying positivity and enthusiasm, or signs of disinterest and frustration? I also encourage open dialogue, asking questions that delve into their work experiences and needs. This approach helps in uncovering underlying issues that might not be apparent in regular surveys.
As leaders we should try to be egoless in order to really be able to listen and understand the needs and fears of others. This in itself is tough and requires a great deal of awareness in our own behaviour.
From my own experience of running multiple restaurant concepts, when I walk into a new restaurant and members of my team are not coming forward, I know that something is not right. It always starts with the managers. The first sign of toxic culture is when employees do not come forward or give you short answers. I always observe body language. Defensive body language and short disinterested answers are the red flags. The other signs are the obvious drop-in service and food and drink quality as well as cleanliness of the site.
The feeling of belonging is an essential component of relationship between employer and employee. Since the flow of authority moves downward, engaging subordinates and making them heard may only benefit managers, executives and even shareholders in order to run the business effectively. Both negative and positive attitudes or thoughts of employee sreads quickly as a viral infection within the company. Hence it is always easy to navigate employees' positive thinking through making them feel as part of the game. Mentioning employees' names in any ackomplishment or milestone may only foster and bloom the sincere relationships between leaders and follwers.
Le niveau d’engagement des collaborateurs s’observe effectivement par une mise en retrait ou l’isolement, par un manque d’initiative en se contentant du minimum. Outre le comportement des collaborateurs, il convient d’être attentif à celui des managers ; leur degré d’exemplarité peut avoir une incidence importante.
A third way to identify engagement issues is to listen to what your team members say and how they say it. For example, you can pay attention to the tone, mood, and energy of your team members in their conversations, emails, chats, and feedback. Are they positive, enthusiastic, and confident? Or are they negative, bored, and frustrated? You can also ask open-ended questions to elicit more insights and opinions from your team members, such as what they like and dislike about their work, what they need and expect from you, and what they want to achieve and learn.
Engagement isn't always vocalized. Foster an open and inclusive environment where team members feel comfortable sharing concerns. Active listening is key!
A crucial part of identifying engagement issues is actively listening to your team's feedback, concerns, and suggestions. Regular check-ins and open communication channels can help capture these signals
I believe it is very important to listen openly and engage with a team member when you hear frustration or negativity. Is the team member having a rough day, or is it something more? I have found that making time for the teammate soonest can help the situation. If it is a rough day, the 'time out' gives the person time to pause and feel appreciated that you care to understand and be supportive. If it is a deeper issue such as a trend of negativity or lack of timely performance, weekly or bi-weekly meetings to redirect or learn the deeper issue can put the team member back on track.
When i see the signs of the following: -> Drop in performance -> Standards of service down -> Employees disinterested -> Customer complaints You know that the team is demotivated. Usually, it starts with the managers. Is there something they are not happy with? Talk to them, find out.. Fish always smell from the head. Before talking to any employees, talk to the people in charge. 99% of the time it's something which can easily be sorted. That's why communication with managers as well as to team members is critically important. Create a company culture where everyone feels included and part of the company's success.
I would watch for existence or lack of certain behaviors such as: - Do my team members proactively solve issues? - Do they proactively make recommendations when they see opportunity for the organization to improve? - Can they laugh and let loose with coworkers? If the answer is yes to all of the above, it’s a strong sign of engaged team members. If the answer is generally no to the above, further diagnosis could be warranted!
A fourth way to identify engagement issues is to analyze the data that you collect from the previous methods. For example, you can use tools like Excel, Google Sheets, or Tableau to organize and visualize your survey results, behavioral indicators, and verbal cues. You can look for patterns, trends, gaps, and outliers that reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your team's engagement. You can also compare your data with industry standards, best practices, and your own goals to see how your team is performing and where it can improve.
Regularly analyzing our collected data would greatly complement robust engagement with team members at all hierarchical levels. However, maintaining a hands-on approach remains crucial as we stay attuned to the organization's pulse.
To spot engagement issues, analyze gathered data. Employ tools like Excel, Google Sheets, or Tableau to organize survey responses, behavioral cues, and verbal feedback. Search for patterns, trends, and disparities to unveil strengths and weaknesses. Compare data with industry benchmarks and internal goals for insights into team performance and areas needing enhancement.
Analyzing data from surveys and other feedback tools can reveal patterns and trends in engagement levels. This analysis can help identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement
Team engagements with your goals rise from the given targets and continue feed back from your previous and current data. We always need to create the time to line and analyze with results. Decision changes are also a part of achieving the goals. When you create a time line teams always correct themselves with more emphasis or focus on your targets or rectify the mistakes.
Relying solely on data from surveys and tools for understanding team engagement can miss nuanced human elements that don't easily translate into quantifiable metrics. Such data might not capture the full spectrum of employee sentiments, motivations, and informal interactions that significantly impact engagement. Personal interactions, open-ended conversations, and observing team dynamics offer valuable insights that structured data tools may overlook. Additionally, excessive focus on metrics can lead to a culture of 'managing by numbers', potentially neglecting the importance of emotional intelligence and human-centric leadership in fostering a truly engaged team.
The final way to identify engagement issues is to act on the insights that you gain from your data analysis. For example, you can use the SMART framework to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound actions to address the engagement issues that you identify. You can also involve your team members in the action planning process to ensure their buy-in and participation. Moreover, you can monitor and evaluate the impact of your actions on your team's engagement levels and make adjustments as needed.
Le management collaboratif est un formidable levier pour observer et mesurer l’engagement de chacun. C’est aussi un moyen pour développer la cohésion d’équipe. Les actions définies ensemble seront nécessairement réalisées de fa?on plus performantes et viendront renforcer les niveaux d’engagement.
Once you've identified engagement issues, act promptly. This could involve implementing new strategies, improving communication or addressing specific concerns raised by team members
Open Dialogues and Collaborative Solutions: Foster open discussions where team members can voice concerns and suggest solutions collectively. Encourage brainstorming sessions to gather diverse ideas. Personalized Support: Offer individualized support based on team members' needs. This could involve mentoring, training opportunities, or flexible work arrangements. Recognition and Appreciation: Regularly acknowledge and appreciate team members' efforts publicly and personally. Celebrate milestones and achievements to boost morale. Feedback Loops: Establish continuous feedback loops, ensuring team members feel heard and that their feedback leads to tangible improvements.
If engagement is an issue at your organization it is a direct reflection on leadership. Leaders need to look at what we are and are not funding, how we are responding or not responding to feedback about ourselves, the way the company operates, and how customers are being served or underserved. One of the best ways to deliver exceptional customer experiences is by focusing, as a leadership team, on providing a best in class employee experience.
Once engagement issues are identified, I use the insights to formulate targeted actions, guided by the SMART framework. Involving the team in creating these action plans is essential for ensuring their commitment and participation. It’s not just about identifying issues but actively working on solutions and continuously monitoring their impact. This dynamic approach helps in adjusting strategies as needed and maintaining high engagement levels within the team.
Be with them as a family and be realistic . We don't need to do engagement activities seperately for our family ..as we "understand" them naturally ...same is with the business .
Engaging your team is not one time task. It goes on and on as long as the company runs. Creating a positive company culture where everyone is included and feels part of the team is crucial to the overall success. I found that creating a company option scheme and distributing options to key members of the team is one of the most effective ways to attract and keep talented people. Scheme qualifiers can be time employed, performance, HR, staff retention etc. The cost to the company is minimal. If they leave for the wrong reasons, they will lose their options. On the other hand, if they feel like they are working for themselves and being a partner rather then an employee, they will perform better and stay longer.
Il faut faire preuve d’agilité et être dans une approche de ??donnant - donnant?? . Le plus important c’est de se mettre toujours à la place de nos collaborateurs et ne pas faire ce que nous-mêmes nous ne voudrions pas subir. La reconnaissance du travail accompli est importante pour maintenir un investissement, motivation, fidélisation et engagement de nos collaborateurs
Works towards creating an environment of open conversations. The best insights come directly from horses mouth.Take out some time to talk to your team from time to time , to hear them, to get the pulse and also to make them feel heard. Dedicate some time in regular meetings to talk about questions like how are you? How is your workload? Etc..
“Listening to employees” is critical to the success of org health. The most important aspect here is creating an inclusive culture where employees can actively voice out their opinions/ feedback’s . Until n unless a “safe environment” is created to voice out , none of the surveys or tools will help in learning about actual feedback nor any engagement mechanisms that’s deployed will work to its fullest. Leader’s actions on being unbiased , active listening and being inclusive are critical in creating a “safe environment”.