Employee engagement is the state of mind when employees feel passionate, energized and dedicated to their work. Why take the time to engage your workforce? Because it transforms individuals in the organization into employees who put their heart, soul, mind and hands on the line to deliver high performance.
When we first apply to join a company, we may be tempted by promises of salary, the company brand or cool perks. Are these important? Of course, but these so-called"satisfaction factors" do not increase employee engagement.Engagement goes far beyond satisfaction. Engaging employees is what happens when what we do has meaning, autonomy, growth, impact and connection - the MAGIC OF ENGAGEMENT.
Meaning: The work you do has meaning beyond the work itself.
What constitutes meaning at work? There are two types of meaning that contribute to connectedness:
Inherent meaning; the work itself generates the meaning felt by the individual. For example, the work of a teacher teaching illiterate children to read or a heart surgeon saving lives.
Associated Meaning: meaning is not inherent in the work itself, but in what the work allows you to do outside the work.
Watch out for the elements of satisfaction! These are privileges like espresso machines, ping pong tables, "Friday Dinners". These perks are fun, but they can lead to temporary happiness and loyalty. When these privileges are taken away, they can cause more problems. They can also be expensive.
Autonomy: The power to organize your work and work environment in a way that enables you to perform at your highest level.
Autonomy does not mean leaving people to their own devices. On the other hand, too much supervision can harm productivity.
In organizations that provide autonomy to their employees, the emphasis is on getting the job done rather than on how the job is done.
Hire good people, give them what they need to do their job well and get out of their way. Trust your employees. There can be no autonomy without trust.
BOUNDARIES + FREEDOM + ACCOUNTABILITY = AUTONOMY
Autonomy is one of the most important elements of keeping your workforce engaged.
Growth: Pushing our limits and challenging ourselves to advance personally and professionally.
When we feel that our work is rote, routine and repetitive, we become bored, distracted and disengaged. People want work experiences that challenge their minds and skills, stimulate their minds and give them the opportunity to excel and succeed.
Advancement does not necessarily mean promotion. Advancement is more than being appointed to a higher position or having a better parking lot. Thriving is the desire to succeed, the need to master new skills, the need to achieve goals.
In Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes: "The best moments of our lives are not those when things come easily, when we are simply receptive and comfortable; our best moments are often those in which the limits of our body or mind are pushed to their limits as we make a willful effort to achieve something difficult or worthwhile." In other words, we feel the highest commitment when we are striving to surpass ourselves, not when we are sitting back.
Impact: Seeing the positive and worthwhile results of your work.
EFFORT + IMPACT = COMMITMENT
In organizations that can match high levels of effort with high levels of perceived contribution, the workforce is engaged. People need to see that they are making progress and making a difference in their work. If they cannot see the impact their work is having, they may feel useless and helpless.
Nurturing Impact:
Belonging: A sense of belonging to something bigger than yourself
Belonging is about "us" rather than "me" or "them". Lack of belonging leads to isolation and marginalization. Belonging is the sense that being part of your organization makes you belong to a community that is bigger than each of the individuals within it. Belonging creates a sense that you and your colleagues have a "special" place where you support each other unconditionally and form a kind of "buddy group".
The currency of belonging is trust. This is a fundamental building block of company culture because an effective culture evokes thoughts like "I trust this company because it aligns with my values and interests, and in a larger sense, it represents me and what I value".
Earned trust is built over time and is based on your interaction and experience with an organization or person.
Default trust is based on a position or a situation. It is not earned trust. We all assume we trust the pilot when we are flying in an airplane.
For more on how to engage and measure employees, download our sample survey: