Part of being a successful leader is knowing when employees need motivation. The sad truth is that not everybody can be genuinely invested in their jobs at all times. That’s where a manager comes into play. A good manager, a strong leader, knows how to engage and motivate their employees, giving them a reason to continue caring about their jobs and responsibilities.
Countless case studies have shown that employee engagement leads to happier employees, leading to higher profits for the company they work for. Need an example? Campbell’s Soup hit an all-time low for employee engagement. This was followed by a 54% loss in market value. When the company focused on employee engagement once again, the value rose once again.
Naturally, this raises the question, how to raise employee engagement and motivation? A straightforward way to help increase employee engagement is to make employees feel cared for. Send care packages, literally. Additionally, according to surveys, health and wellness benefits are high up on the list of things that can increase employee loyalty.
Speaking of increasing loyalty, giving employees avenues for personal development can go a long way. Professional and personal development go hand and hand, so providing avenues for one will ultimately help the other along. Managers and leaders can even take this a step further by creating personalized goals and training.
Another essential aspect of employee engagement is communication. Employees that feel left out of the loop will ultimately lose investment in their company. This is a simple fix – all a company needs to do is increase its communication within the workforce. For example, a manager should be ready and willing to share both good and bad news.
While on the subject of manager communication, managers must monitor their interactions with employees. It’s easy for a manager to reach out when they see a problem in the workplace, but it is just as essential to comment on an employee’s success. An employee that only ever hears from their boss for negative reasons will quickly lose motivation.
Management can take the concept of communication to heart by allowing employees to provide feedback. It’s essential to listen to your employees, as they are the ones on the ground level interacting with the clients. They know how the business works, and their opinion should matter. Make all of this clear to your employees, and they will be more likely to care about those results.
Article originally published on StephenPatterson.net
Dr. Stephen Patterson was with the Orangefield Independent School District from 2002 to 2019. Outside of his career, he is an active and involved member of his community. Learn more about Stephen Patterson and his insights on leadership and education by checking out StephenPatterson.co, StephenPatterson.net, stephenpatterson.info.