The 4 Keys to Boosting Employee (and Customer) Engagement

There is much discussion about engaging our employees and customers, and most of us believe we understand "engagement". There are hundreds of academic and professionally well-crafted definitions. My definition of employee engagement is, "discretionary effort made with enthusiasm, positive feelings, and involvement. "

The key here is that it requires positive effort given by the employee. While in the past couple of years, we have seen an increase in productivity per employee, this may or may not be a reflection of a more "engaged staff". They could simply be scrambling, terrified of losing their jobs!

As the economy recovers, employers will begin hiring and competition for the "best employees" will become fierce. This compounded with the fact that most companies are operating with a leaner, more productive team of their best people means every employee is critical.

Consider the impact of employee engagement to the bottom line. A recent Towers Perrin study reports that "firms with the highest percentage of "engaged employees collectively increased operating income 19% and earnings per share 28% year over year. Simply put, it makes good business sense.

If you want to tap into that "discretionary effort" of your employees and create a more positive, productive and profitable organization, here are 4 Keys to improve your employee engagements today!

1. Listen to your employees.
   Ask employees to identify ways to improve products and processes. Survey employee loyalty and morale periodically. What you might think needs fixing may be quite different from what your employees feel about their job and their company. Be prepared to take action on the findings.
2. Make the jobs more interesting and challenging.
   This is the primary element that makes employees (of all generations) more engaged, as reported by the Kelly Services' Annual Employee Global Workforce Index. People want to excel in their work, and they will commit to companies who are committed to their professional development.
3. Build trust throughout the organization
   Are honesty and integrity values well communicated and practiced throughout your company? Are your products and services trusted in the marketplace? Be brutally honest and if not, change it.
4. Make the vision visible and clearly linked to the employee's role in the organization.
   Employees need to understand know where the company is going and understand the key strategies. Strong performers truly connect with that vision on a personal level and it is the role of leadership to communicate it clearly and passionately.