By Cara Whedbee, Ph.D. | Business Writer, HRTools.com
No matter what the economy is like, employee engagement is imperative for businesses to survive and thrive. But what can an employer do to increase employee engagement?
Reduce Excessive Workplace Stress
If employees are stressed-out, which seems to increasingly be the case in today’s workforce, they cannot be engaged. In my studies for my degree in Psychology, I learned over and over again that human beings are only capable of dealing with one extreme emotional reaction at a time—so if that reaction is stress, the energy and focus needed for engagement cannot co-exist in that employee. Thus, engagement drops and productivity suffers.
Ashley Adams, a manager of midmarket sales operations at a large human resources outsourcing company, proposes the following ways to alleviate excessive workplace stress:
- “Address the situation by talking about it. Let employees know that you are aware there is stress in the workplace.
- Extend a helping hand. Let your employees know that you will work with them so they can juggle meeting deadlines and keep a healthy balance between work and home lives. A sign of support can go a long way and it is relatively cost-free.
- Think about creative or innovative ways to reduce stressful situations. These approaches could be as simple as readjusting work schedules or providing training classes. Again, my company provides alternative and flexible scheduling. The work must be done, but flexibility helps give employees a sense of control over their lives, which in turn helps reduce stress. Some industries, such as manufacturing, face more limitations in this respect. Instead, these types of employers can provide classes to help employees learn coping strategies as ways for reducing stress in their lives.
- Evaluate hiring additional staff. Sometimes hiring an additional person seems like an expensive solution to employers. However, this solution may be the best alternative in the long-run. Employers can end up spending more time and money should an employee suffering from excessive stress become chronically absent or require medical leave. These situations, too, can cause higher turnover rates, so it is usually better to consider hiring another person.
- Consider bringing in outside counseling or providing an employee assistance program (EAP). Sometimes employees aren’t comfortable explaining to their supervisor that they are stressed out. They may fear being perceived as a ‘whiner.’ They may also fear losing their jobs. If they know that they are speaking confidentially to an outside professional, they may be more inclined to identify the sources of their stress. That way, they can learn how to better cope. Some companies also establish employee ‘hotline’ numbers that provide employees with a way to open up and hold confidential conversations with a professional counselor.”
Ask Your Employees’ Opinions
It is nearly impossible to know what will cause employees to become engaged if you do not ask them. A great way to do this is to conduct an employee opinion survey. Barbara Wilkins, a senior human resources specialist for a large company in the service industry, says there are four ways employers can get workers involved in making the changes they suggest in an employee opinion survey. They include:
- “Putting together an action plan regarding changes the company would like to make. You definitely want to do this before you involve employees.
- Next, put together employee focus groups and ask them to come up with ways to improve some of the deficiencies the survey came up with.
Still keep in mind that, although you are trying to make changes, you also want to keep the company’s culture and expenses relatively the same (unless the culture is one of the deficiencies discovered in the survey), as well as stay within the company’s guidelines.
- If you find out that you can’t make any of the suggested changes—for example, if some of the stuff suggested in the focus groups you just absolutely cannot do—then you need to let employees know that there are certain things the company will not be able to change.
You’ll have a much better shot at getting employee buy-in for the changes you are able to make if you are honest with them upfront.
- Talk with your employees. This is just a good way to find out what they are thinking so you can act on those findings and make the workplace better—improving morale and motivation, which then affects the company’s bottom line in a positive way.”
Show Employees the Benefits!
Finally, a great way to increase the engagement of employees is to reward and recognize them for a job well-done. There are many ways to do this; here are some examples:
Hopefully this article has provided some ideas to increase the employee engagement at your company. Check out this HRTools.com Insight for even more ideas and then implement as many of them as you can—your bottom line depends on it!
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