How can leaders influence employee engagement?

In order for your employees to feel engaged you (and your senior leadership team), need to be committed to the strategy you put in place. There are different ways you can make your employees feel as if they are valued at work, these include strategies around motivation, encouragement and support.

Do your employees know what impact their work has on the business? Finding ways to show recognition to your employees and show them what their hard work is doing for the business can be really encouraging and motivating, along with making them feel valued. The company visions and values should be readily available to the employees and may be more influential than you think. Sharing them and ensuring your employees understand the true meaning of them is crucial if you want your visions and values to be part of your company DNA.

Give empowerment to your employees in a personal way, it will help them be more effective in all aspects of their job. Really listen to what your employees have to say, ask for feedback (this can be done in one to ones, or anonymous surveys) and give your employees choices in how to do their role (where realistic). If your employees are really going above and beyond find ways to recognise their hard work in a way that matters to them, this will differ from employee to employee.

Support your employees to be innovative at work, give them autonomy and encourage them to try new approaches and take risks in work where appropriate. By understanding your employee’s opinions and what they think can be learned from situations, will empower them to speak up more often and help with solving potential issues before they arise. Speaking to employees about the future of their role and the future plans and goals for the business will allow them to feel appreciated and acknowledged in their role. This will also show that you are encouraging growth in their roles and providing challenging opportunities in order for them to fully engage at work.