01 Aug 2018

The multiplier effect in employee engagement

The race to acquire, engage and retain the right employees in a business is ongoing and as always, ever-challenging. Competition is high, turnover is expensive and employees want job satisfaction and to be engaged more so than ever before.

Employee engagement is one area which all HR teams and leaders cannot push under the carpet, it needs regular focus and attention. Questions like what makes employees stay, what makes employees happy and engaged and what makes employees frustrated requires answers. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report (2017), only 15 per cent of employees worldwide are engaged, so the ground work needs to be laid as how to best engage your team both in the short and long term.

Randstad’s Employer Brand Research (2018) recently revealed the top reasons employees want to leave their jobs: (44 per cent) insufficient pay, (43 per cent) limited career path, (28 per cent) work/life balance and (27 per cent) lack of recognition.

However, once employees are engaged and happy, they are motivated and more productive, and this can have a domino effect…this wave of motivation can wash across your organisation as quickly as it can leave your organisation. Make it happen.

The multiplier effect

The multiplier effect is a phenomenon whereby a given change in a particular input causes a larger change in an output. As such, the more effort, time and resources companies put in to engage their teams, the more engaged and motivated employees will be.

To achieve this it’s important to look at what kinds of behaviours and what ways of thinking can activate employee engagement which will propel both individuals and the organisation forward as a whole. There are multiple variables that can impact employee engagement and the balance needs to be right for sustainable engagement to endure in your team.

Engaged employees are likely to be happier at work and more productive. Not only will companies see increased profits and get more done, but the culture and environment will be conducive and a friendlier place to work.

Below are some easy inputs which yield great outputs.

Celebrate people and their achievements

Give praise when praise is due. Praise and recognising employees for their hard work and achievements is one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways of effectively engaging them. Regularly thanking them for their efforts demonstrates an awareness of their hard work and provides encouragement for them to boost their performance.

There are so many ways to recognise your team that will not break the bank and that will motivate them even further. Companies can use a reward and recognition platform to award their employees and to make public announcements of a great job done. Offer financial and non-financial rewards for a successful project and for an outstanding job. This praise and acknowledgement will automatically multiply in momentum as well as enthusiasm, which will encourage similar behaviours from others.

Provide opportunities for growth

Employees love learning and upskilling and a vast proportion of them are happy to do so while working full time. Employees often feel they are stagnating if they don’t have the opportunity to develop new skills and deepen their knowledge and expertise, which often leads to disengagement and dissatisfaction.

The more opportunity an organisation can provide to their teams, be it online courses, quarterly seminars or in house training sessions, the more uptake there will be for employees to take advantage. This not only taps into your employees’ full potential, but it allows your business to grow, diversify and have a competitive edge being on top of the trends and industry insights. Define learning goals, sign your teams up to relevant and interesting courses and benefit from the output... once again, it’s about the input you offer.

Go above and beyond salary

Pay is always a motivator in a job, and more so now, companies need to review this strategy and go above and beyond to engage their employees. Monetary benefits communicate value and help employees fulfil their ambitions and lifestyle needs and wants, however there are other ways to top up value above a salary cheque. For example, companies can offer an employee discount platform as a way to offer extra advantage above monthly salaries. Here employees have access to thousands of everyday savings and lifestyle offers from travel packages, access to sold out tickets and discounts at a variety of high street retailers.

Having these benefits as an input for employee engagement can engage your team because they too encourage a healthier work/life balance which will in turn boost productivity. Once engaged by these small life-enhancing benefits, the more an employee will put into their everyday job.

It’s evident that engaged employees voluntarily invest extra time, effort and initiative to contribute to business success. Once your team feel a sense of purpose within their roles, they bring passion and energy into their work. This enthusiasm is contagious, the more engaged they feel, the happier they are to do more. Simple procedures need to be put in place which motivate teams and give a sense of purpose and satisfaction. HR and team leaders need to take the time to find out what motivates their team and what their goals are and devote time and budget here. Invest in the input, and you will surely benefit from the output.

This article was provided by Xexec.