Building a High-Performing Workplace Through Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a complex issue and requires continuous attention to make positive changes in the workplace. Companies can solicit feedback by providing surveys, performance conversations, stay interviews, or even one-on-one meetings with managers.

Engaged employees are enthusiastic about their work and the organization. They're psychological owners and drive high productivity, innovation, and results.

1. Create a Meaningful Workplace

Whether they're working in a factory, at a hospital, or in an office, people want their work to have meaning. This is more than just a pleasant feeling; it's an essential aspect of their human experience, providing them with an identity and self-worth. In a recent study conducted by BetterUp Labs, employees who reported high levels of meaningfulness in their jobs also placed more value on career advancement and were more likely to be occupied with senior, skilled positions. The key to cultivating this sense of meaning lies within your organization's culture and policies, with managers being the primary catalyst for employee engagement.

Employees need to understand how their individual work fits into the larger picture of your company's mission, and they also crave relationships with a manager who can provide them with guidance and support on their journey through your organization. According to research by Gallup, the manager alone accounts for 70% of the variance in employee engagement, and managers are often closer to their team members' daily realities than leadership or HR are. It's their responsibility to ensure that employees are engaged, and this can only be accomplished through ongoing conversations and coaching.

It's also important to create a workplace that allows for flexibility, particularly when it comes to schedules and remote work options. This enables employees to find the right balance between their work and their personal lives, which is critical for a sense of meaning. In fact, a recent Gallup study revealed that more than 70 percent of workers would take a pay cut to work in a position with a greater sense of meaning.

Brookings Institution researchers found that satisfying three innate psychological needs—competence, autonomy, and relatedness—is the key to feeling like work has meaning. Competence is about being able to achieve challenging tasks and master skills. Autonomy is about the freedom to make choices and take control of your own work. Finally, relatedness is about relationships in the workplace, and it's characterized by a sense of care and concern for coworkers and superiors in return.

Many organizations overlook the importance of promoting meaningfulness in their workplace, instead focusing on things like fair compensation, good benefits, and positive workplace culture. While these are certainly important, they don't go far enough to make employees feel engaged in their roles. In order to promote a sense of meaning, your organization must look at the bigger picture and find ways to help employees see how their individual contributions are helping others and making an impact on the world.

2. Create a Positive Work Environment

The environment at your company can have a big impact on how engaged your employees are. In fact, a toxic workplace can be one of the leading causes of employee turnover. This can be costly to your business, especially when you have to spend time and money on finding, hiring, and onboarding new employees. Creating a positive work environment can help you keep your top talent by making your company an irresistible place to work.

The key to a high-performance workplace is to create an engaging culture that encourages people to collaborate and innovate. You can do this by removing collaboration roadblocks and creating an inclusive workplace. You can also do this by providing opportunities for employees to have fun and interact with one another. For example, you could host a company picnic or a game night. Lastly, you can create a positive work environment by giving your employees recognition and appreciation. This could be done through a staff lunch, a teambuilding activity or an award ceremony.

A healthy work environment is also about promoting transparency and trust. It’s important to encourage open communication between your managers and your employees so they can understand each other’s perspectives and goals. In addition, it’s critical to provide regular feedback on performance and progress. This can be done through one-on-one meetings, weekly check-ins or monthly reviews.

It’s also important to allow your employees the freedom and flexibility to complete their work from home when necessary, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of flexible working arrangement can be beneficial for both you and your employees, as it can increase their productivity and give them a better work-life balance.

A positive work environment also includes encouraging risk-taking and experimentation. Your employees can feel empowered to try new ideas, methods and strategies if they know they will be respected by their peers and management. By allowing your employees to take risks, you can tap into their unknown potential, which can improve productivity and overall business success. It’s also important to make sure your employees have the support they need to perform at their best, which you can do by providing training, mentorship programs and coaching.

3. Invest in Your People

Employees are your most valuable responsive asset, so it makes sense to invest in them. When employees feel like their work has meaning, have a positive impact on other people’s lives, and are a part of something larger than themselves, they become motivated to do the best job possible. That means they will be more likely to take risks, make creative ideas, and go above and beyond in their jobs.

A high level of employee engagement can also increase retention, which can reduce costs by eliminating the need to recruit and onboard new staff members. And it can help boost customer service by ensuring that your team has the skills and confidence to deliver on their promises.

But if you’re not sure how to get started, start by asking your employees what matters to them at work. Every worker has their own list of improvements they’d like to see in the workplace, whether it be a more balanced work and life schedule or tools that actually improve their performance. Collect and act on this feedback.

One way to do this is through training. Research shows that a well-designed training program can have an impact on employee engagement, so consider what your workforce needs and how you can provide it.

Another way is through recognition. Employees want to know that their hard work is appreciated, and it can be done in many ways, from small gestures to formal awards programs. You may also consider providing a discretionary stipend for professional development, which can be used to cover event attendance fees or to purchase books and videos. A 2022 Harvard Business Review study found that when managers are good at recognizing their employees, their workers report higher levels of satisfaction and engagement.

Another way to get an idea of what areas need improvement is through employee engagement benchmarks, which can give you context around your survey results. If your employees aren’t engaged, benchmarks can show you if it’s due to a specific problem or if there are other factors at play. This can prevent you from wasting time and money trying to boost an unreasonably low score.

4. Provide Feedback

When employees receive feedback from their managers, it's important that it is clear and concise. Otherwise, it can be easily misinterpreted or missed entirely. A vague compliment can be construed as insincere, while corrective feedback that lacks specificity can make it difficult to resolve issues and improve performance.

In the case of high performers, delivering constructive feedback is even more crucial. They may be more sensitive to feedback than others, and can find it harder to take action on the suggestions provided. That's why it's so important to be clear and specific when providing feedback, whether in casual conversations or during formal reviews.

For example, if you are giving feedback on an employee's presentation skills, instead of saying, "You need to work on your public speaking," say, "I was disappointed in the way you presented at the meeting yesterday. You could have been more prepared and more confident in your presentation style." This kind of feedback is more effective, and will be much easier for the employee to implement.

Another common mistake managers make is focusing their feedback on things that are out of an employee's control. For example, if an employee is struggling with innovation, don't punish them by telling them they need to be more innovative; that's something they can't change on their own. Instead, try to give them feedback that focuses on the aspects of their job they can control, such as their attitude and hardworking spirit.

Finally, it's important to provide feedback regularly and consistently. Employees who don't receive feedback on a regular basis are less likely to be engaged, so it's important to establish a culture of continuous feedback. This can be achieved by making it a part of your everyday interactions with employees, such as during casual conversations or team meetings, or by incorporating it into the performance review process.

It's also important to ensure that the delivery of feedback is as positive as the content. The tone and body language used in the delivery of feedback can have a big impact on how it is perceived, so be sure to create a positive, welcoming atmosphere for your discussion. If possible, try to deliver feedback in person rather than over the phone or online. This will help to build trust and encourage a productive discussion.